[Folkmore IC Inbox][un: forestwatcher]

[forestwatcher]

forestwatcher

You've reached Tighnari. I'm not able to answer right now, so just leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can.

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[forestwatcher]

[It is nice.

Cyno has long been a trusted friend of Tighnari's. Someone he doesn't mind having close, experiencing his more tactile side and how easily he will welcome contact from people he likes. He settles in against the headboard, tucks Cyno in against his side, and digs his fingertips gently down into his hair to softly scratch at his scalp in slow, easy circles.]

This and that. I usually don't remember very much. [The occasional jarring one still lingers when he wakes but mostly it's vague details and impressions. Tighnari rests his cheek against the top of the other man's head.]

Last night, I dreamed that I was a fox.

[Not a wholly unusual thing to dream about, given that Tighnari's favoured form when he shapeshifts as a Familiar is a large, green, nine-tailed kitsune.] And I was exploring the forest, all of the different sounds and smells... When I woke up I almost forgot I was human, for a moment.

[cashewlater]

[ for cyno, tighnari is the only person he is comfortable enough to unwind around, to allow to see his tender, vulnerable underbelly. cyno has (had) his mentor, his fellow matra with whom he has camaraderie, and he is growing ever closer with collei, but tighnari is and has ever been his only real friend. the person he trusts most in all the world. the person he can open to, and touch, and hold close to.

that is slowly changing, as cyno begins to slowly but surely open his heart to others, but none of them can compare with tighnari. ]

That sounds good.

[ tighnari's fingers tangle into cyno's hair, the roots still damp with sweat, and the scratch of his nails feels absolutely exquisite. a low, gravelly growl rolls deep in cyno's throat, rumbling against tighnari's shoulder, his body falling slack, all remaining tension melting away. ]

Perhaps if I think on it enough, I can dream of being a wolf.

[ like as not it would feel as natural as breathing, for all cyno is a wild, feral thing beneath his stoic exterior, a creature of instinct, a loyal, mournful, territorial predator. ]

[forestwatcher]

[He has to chuckle at that little growl, the way that Cyno suddenly falls lax against him, and he continues those gentle scratching circles as the other man continues to speak. Being able to be close to him like this is a blessing and one that he knows very few people are granted. Tighnari is not going to waste a moment of the soft intimacy that Cyno allows them to have together.]

A wolf? Mm... that does sound like you.

[Though he doesn't have much experience in dreams or their guidance, it's something that he expects he will be able to study. Perhaps a venture to the Kuma Lisa academy would be in order for such a thing, or... perhaps Baba Yaga? He doesn't relish the prospect of the latter, but he had been meaning to go there anyway...]

You seem calmer now. [The young man murmurs then, sliding his thumb idly back and forth behind Cyno's ear.] Do you want me to stay here with you?

[cashewlater]

[ lupus aureus is his constellation, after all, and the spirit of the wolf dwells within him, sunk deep into his bones and flesh. cyno has always felt a draw to wolves, a kinship with them. to wear the fur of a wolf, even only in dreams, sounds quite appealing.

more appealing at the moment, however, is tighnari's nearness, the soothing pull of fingers through his hair, gentle, appeasing. eyes closed, body still, he leans his weight into tighnari's, the slope of his shoulders easing. tighnari makes it so very easy for cyno to feel safe, and secure, a feeling that cyno does not often experience, given his line of work. though images of his nightmare still flash behind his eyes, it all feels much further away now. ]

You don't need to feel obligated to.

[ he starts, murmuring at the gentle slide of tighnari's thumb behind his ear, quieting him. ]

But.. I'd like it if you did.

[forestwatcher]

Then I will.

[It isn't as if he'd sleep easily if he left, knowing he had abandoned Cyno to the demons in his mind. Tighnari shifts, nudging the other man away from him for a moment so he can wiggle out of his robe. Under the plush fabric he's wearing a pair of soft linen pyjama pants, and with no shyness about his bare chest he snags the blankets to pull them over the two of them and settles down again, pulling Cyno in close.

The room is only very dimly lit by the moon and a few lights outside and it's easy to sink into comfortable sleepiness again now he knows that the other man is less distressed.

What a wonderful thing it is to be able to be this person for Cyno. The one he trusts above all others, the one he can be vulnerable with... Tighnari knows how lucky he is.]

Are you comfortable, Cyno..?

[cashewlater]

[ he'd known that's what tighnari would say, and a part of cyno can't help but feel a little guilty for waking him, dragging him out of bed to be here, but.. they're close, and he would do the same for tighnari in a heartbeat, if he was needed. so he pushes that thought away.

fabric whispers as tighnari removes his robe and settles down into the blanket, cyno pulling away for the brief moment it takes his friend to get comfortable before tighnari is tugging him back in again. cyno goes willingly, easily, his body sinking against tighnari's. similarly, he wears only a light pair of sleeping shorts, but that's no real surprise, cyno's normal clothing is scant to begin with. still, it means that there is plenty of skin-to-skin contact when cyno lays against him, pressed to tighnari's side with his head nestled into the crook of tighnari's shoulder.

he smells good, the scent of his skin and fur so warm and familiar. ]

Mmhmm..

[ cyno hums, the sound like a soft purr in his throat, and presses his face into tighnari's throat. ]

I'm glad to be able to see so much of you.

[ if there's one good thing about being in this place.. it's that he has so much time to spend with tighnari. ]

[forestwatcher]

[The young botanist, strong minded as he is, could hardly be persuaded to stay somewhere that he didn't want to be. It had been care and concern for his friend that had drawn him to Cyno's door and it is that same concern that keeps him here tucked warmly together with him under the cosy blankets.

He shifts his tail to the opposite side of where Cyno is and tucks it down beside his thigh, but the soft sound of it gently thudding against the mattress can be heard quite clearly.]

Mm... I'm glad too. We didn't even see this much of each other when we were at the Akademiya.

[Both busy even then. Granted Cyno had kept a very close eye on him for a time, but that hardly counted.] ... You know, I missed you after you disappeared. I'm used to not knowing where you are, but it felt different.

[cashewlater]

[ the gentle thumping of tighnari's tail is enough to bring a mild smile to cyno's face, his mouth curving against the skin of his best friend's neck. ]

No, we didn't.

[ and they'd still seen quite a lot of each other, then, even if much of their time together was spent reading, studying, working on papers, for even as a matra, cyno continued to learn. he still does, though studying in the house of daena isn't quite the same without tighnari sitting quietly beside him.

at tighnari's admittance, cyno lifts his head, resting it on the pillow beside tighnari, their faces close. it's dim, but he can still see the moonlight shining off of tighnari's eyes. ]

I know. I'm sorry. It all worked out for the best, but I missed seeing you. Even if you would have just fussed over the state of my hands.

[forestwatcher]

[Back then he had appreciated Cyno's quiet intelligence. His unintrusive manner. How he never expected anything of Tighnari in the way that other researchers often did. It was no surprise to him when they became friends, though he could never have expected the depth of the friendship.

Sometimes he does miss those old days when they would sit across from one another in the House of Daena, silent and deep in their studies. A time in his life that Tighnari simply can't go back to no matter how many times Akademiya representatives turn up to bay at his door.

He took many valuable things from his time there but few things are more valuable to him than this friendship.]

Yes, yes... [Tighnari would have done that. He shifts when Cyno does, turning onto his side and setting his head down on the pillow. His tail is still softly thudding against the mattress.] I understand why you had to do it, and why you couldn't tell me what was happening. [Cyno's hair looks like moonlight. He draws a lock of it forwards and plays with it.]

It would have been a conflict of interest for me to know, on so many different levels. I don't blame you.

[cashewlater]

[ cyno had felt much the same, when first they met, and fell in together. having someone to simply sit quietly with was incredibly good, and though cyno had long since come to terms with the idea that people feared and avoided him, it nevertheless felt.. nice, to have someone not draw away from his every step, to have someone like and accept him simply for the person he is.

yet even tighnari leaving the akademiya had not changed them. they saw one another less, surely, but their time spent together was still just as sweet, just as good, just as close. distance did not damage them, and in time, they only grew closer still. ]

Mm. You know I trust you. Things were.. complicated.

[ cyno's arm slips over tighnari's side, languidly holding to him, his fingertips idly brushing against the base of his tail. ]

But it's resolved, now. For what little that means, in this place.

[forestwatcher]

I know that you trust me.

[And Tighnari trusts him in turn. A valued friendship to be sure and one that he is sure few outside of it truly understand. How bold he must seem to any observer, teasing and prodding at the General Mahamatra the way he does, never showing a hint of fear towards him. There had never been a reason for him to feel fear when it came to Cyno - he had never done anything wrong, and the reputation of the General Mahamatra when it came to academic misconduct was so often overstated.

Very few Akademiya scholars would ever conduct research of the kind that would draw his attention.

Cyno touches so close to his tail and he sighs, a contented little rumble buzzing in the back of his throat. He bunts their foreheads together fondly and smiles over at his friend in the darkness.]

Go back to sleep. You can hold on to my tail if you want to.

[Tighnari often did it when he was younger, and sometimes even now. It's very comforting.]

[cashewlater]

[ tighnari's observation is spot-on. though cyno occasionally investigates students - as in tighnari's case - it's quite a rare occurrence. cyno goes after the big fish, and leaves the small stuff to his fellow matra. yet his vicious reputation precedes him nonetheless, and likely it always shall, but cyno is content. he has tighnari, and collei. they're all he needs.

and tighnari's smile is all he needs to remind him of that. the sight of it alone makes his heart burgeon with warmth. ]

Mmm. I suppose I should.

[ sleep, that is, but he'll take advantage of tighnari's offer, as well. cyno's fingers drop lower, gently tugging tighnari's tail over his hip so he can sink his rough, callused fingers into all of that dense green fur. it's so warm, so soft.. cyno hums his pleasure, and closes his eyes. ]

Thank you, 'Nari. Goodnight.

[forestwatcher]

[Though he has to shift a little to put himself in a more comfortable position if Cyno is going to hold on to him like that, he doesn't mind it at all. That the offer is accepted makes his heart warm.

And it makes him happy, too, that the other man feels safe enough now to return to sleep when his nightmares had been so terrible.

With fingers buried into the fur of his tail and his whole body pressed warm and sure to the length of Cyno's he sighs again, content, and briefly cups the side of Cyno's face. His thumb brushes over the desert-dweller's cheekbone, then he settles himself down to rest as well and closes his eyes. It's likely he won't sleep with his friend so close by, kept awake by every single little noise he makes, but it's fine. Tighnari doesn't mind.]

Sleep well, Cy.

[cashewlater]

[ and he does sleep well indeed.

pressed close to tighnari, cyno falls into a deep sleep, and the nightmares do not again touch him. his dreams are strange, disjointed, but warm - memories of avidya forest, of tighnari and collei - and they wrap him like a soft blanket. he doesn't wake again, not until the morning sun streams through his window to strike his closed eyelids.

cyno stirs, shifting, murmuring something low and soft and nonsensical. his arms are wound around tighnari's middle, cyno's face pressed into his throat, and everything feels warm and perfect. he inhales, catching the familiar floral scent of his friend's skin, and opens his eyes. golden sunlight fills the cozy little room, flooding the space, streaking across the bed, and everything feels perfectly good and still. their legs are tangled, their bodies close, and slowly the previous night's memories crawl back into his mind. right. he'd had a nightmare. bloody hands, ripping and pulling..

but there's no place for that, now, not in this warm atmosphere, with tighnari pressed so close to him. cyno inhales his scent, his fingers still buried in tighnari's tail, stroking gently. ]

[forestwatcher]

[Despite thinking he will not be able to fall asleep Tighnari does eventually doze off, lulled by the regular beat of Cyno's heart and the soft sound of his peaceful rest.

When the other man wakes up, the forest watcher is pressed in close to his side with his forehead tucked down against Cyno's shoulder, his long ears draped over the other man's head. His tail is still wrapped up around his friend's waist, and during the night he has hooked one leg over him as well.

It's warm and cosy, and when Cyno stirs Tighnari's gradual return to consciousness is reluctant. He grunts, lightly butting his head against Cyno's shoulder, then slowly opens his eyes.]

Ah... [He did sleep, after all. Tighnari stretches, yawns, then snuggles back in close and comfortable. One of his ears flicks against the top of the other man's head.] You slept well?

[cashewlater]

[ ah yes, waking to the ears in his face..

it's not the first time, and it certainly isn't likely to be the last. but cyno doesn't mind, it's just one of tighnari's idiosyncrasies that cyno loves. still half-dozed, cyno turns his head to nuzzle his nose against the soft fur of tighnari's ear, breathing in its soft, musky scent. ]

I did, thanks to you.

[ without tighnari's comforting warmth beside him, cyno is quite sure that the nightmares would have returned to plague him in the night. but he slept well and deeply, and now, cuddled in close with his dearest companion, he feels entirely at ease - an uncommon feeling, for one so vigilant as cyno, but he won't complain. one arm stretches, curving over tighnari's shoulders to pull him closer still, while the other slips his fingers out of his tail to curl behind his own head, supporting it. he yawns. ]

Did I keep you up?

[ this isn't the first time they've shared sleeping space before, after all, and cyno knows how sensitive his hearing is. ]

[forestwatcher]

Mrgh, don't chuff in my ear like that.

[He pulls away from Cyno's breathing him in with a light laugh and a smile, and shifts away just a little to smooth them both with his hands - almost cat like.

Then Cyno's arm slips around him and he 'eep's softly, half leaning up against the other man's chest. It leaves him able to slide one hand into Cyno's hair, the pad of his thumb smoothing against his temple, and he looks down at him with a soft half smile.]

Only a little, at first. I fell asleep eventually. [It would have been worse, he thinks, to have had to listen to Cyno tossing and turning all night at best and more of him yelling at worst. At least like this they both slept comfortably and without any disturbing dreams.]

We haven't done this for a while, have we?

[cashewlater]

Then don't slap your ears on my face.

[ he retorts easily, though there's certainly no bite to his words, and cyno's mouth is slanted into a warm smile. he likes tighnari's ears in his face. he likes tighnari leaning against him like this, and touching his hair. cyno rumbles like a pleased wolf, closing his eyes for a moment, leaning his head into the gentle caress of tighnari's fingers. ]

But no, we haven't.

[ he murmurs, eyes still shut, his expression all soft around the edges, warm, yielding. cyno doesn't relax easily, and he certainly doesn't feel at home in this place, but at the very least, he has no enemies here, he can allow the near constant tension to flood out of his body. idly, cyno's hand coasts down tighnari's back and up again, his thumb tracing the curve of his spine. ]

I missed it. I always sleep more easily beside you.

[forestwatcher]

[They haven't.

He likes seeing Cyno relaxed like this. It's such a rare thing, especially lately, when so many things have seemed to weigh on the mind of his friend. In Folkmore they are safe, but it has taken far longer for that to sink in to Cyno's mind than it did for Tighnari (and understandably so).

The botanist sighs and shifts slightly against the touch along his back, his spine, and flops down against Cyno's chest with a puffing exhale.]

Then there's nothing else to be done about it. I'll just have to sleep in here with you, at least until your dreams settle.

[It makes sense, right? If he'll sleep more easily, it saves the both of them being woken up every night, and surely this will pass more quickly if he's well-rested.]

Or you can come to my room. My bed is bigger.

[cashewlater]

[ feeling safe is such a strange and alien thing, for cyno. he hasn't felt safe in years, he's all but forgotten what it's like. and he's fine with that, it's the life he'd chosen when he took on the mantle of general mahamatra, he doesn't mind. but when you're used to feeling a certain way for so long.. it can be very difficult to go back on that, to change to something else. he's not sure that he'll ever be able to be anything but vigilant.

but he feels safe with tighnari, here, in this moment. the bed is warm, tighnari smells good and familiar - coming to this place would have been much more difficult, without his best friend and closest companion here by his side. ]

That's - are you sure?

[ that's a lot to offer, he thinks. tighnari can be a very private person sometimes, and cyno would never begrudge him that; the last thing he wants to do is to invade tighnari's space any more than he already has. granted, he knows that tighnari wouldn't have offered if he didn't mean it..

gently, he smooths his hand over tighnari's hair, rubbing the base of his ear with his thumb, in soft circles. ]

I suppose it might be better than disturbing you every night..

[forestwatcher]

[Cyno knows better than to think that Tighnari would offer such a thing if he wasn't sure, so the question doesn't get a verbal answer and only a look from the other man. Much like his friend he finds comfort in the familiar warmth and scents of this situation and he would not mind doing it again. Why would he mind?]

Exactly. We have to be sensible about these things.

[But then Cyno is rubbing close to the base of his ear and Tighnari shuts his eyes, his tail whipping from side to side as a barely audible purr of satisfaction rumbles up from somewhere deep in his chest.

Ugh... that feels so nice.

There is a misconception shared by most people who know Tighnari that he does not like to have his ears or tail touched, with the persistent rumour being that he will get angry if anyone tries. In truth he doesn't mind at all, as long as he knows the person trying to touch him. He doesn't think that's so odd. Who wants to have every random stranger touching them?

One of his ankles bends as his toes curl against the bedsheets.]

Ex... actly.

[And then he grunts, embarrassed, and flicks both ears back as he turns his face against Cyno's chest.]

[cashewlater]

All right. If you're sure.

[ and that will be the end of the debate, because cyno does indeed know full well that if tighnari didn't want to offer his bed in the first place, he wouldn't have. he's not the sort of person to go out of his way to make himself uncomfortable just for the hell of it. he's weighed the pros and cons. so cyno won't argue. in the end, it's probably for the best, he'll sleep better beside tighnari, and won't be waking him shouting in the middle of the night. besides, if the worst comes to pass and it doesn't help, he can simply move back to this room. or move out of the house entirely, if he can't get his nightmares under control. they'll figure it out.

more important is tighnari's reaction, the soft purr and the way his ears fold back. cyno smiles, his entire expression softening around the edges. he, of course, also knows tighnari well enough to know just how he likes his ears and tail rubbed, and to know that he doesn't mind it, when it's coming from someone he's close to. cyno has this privilege. when tighnari turns his face away, cyno chuckles, the sound warm and low, vibrating in his chest. ]

Good?

[ because he isn't stopping. he continues rubbing gently at the base of that ear, before drawing his thumb halfway up the velvety fur. it's so warm, and soft.. ]

[forestwatcher]

You know it's good.

[Bastard.

Tighnari would not be so uncouth out loud, but...

Bastard.

Cyno knows exactly what he's doing and Tighnari knows that he knows exactly what he's doing, and it's only their closeness and familiarity that allows it to go on like this. The young man does not mind people he knows petting his ears, even if he will always warn them that they aren't miraculously soft as some seem to expect, but for it to go on for so long and to a point where he's all but melting into it..? That is a special privilege.

A special privilege that leaves Tighnari almost entirely immobilised under Cyno's hand, letting out little purring growls of comfortable pleasure.]

[cashewlater]

I do know.

[ cyno's smile is lopsided, and warm. maybe he's being a bastard, but he's enjoying himself, and for all his shortness, tighnari is enjoying it too - if he weren't, he wouldn't be allowing it; tighnari has always been particularly vocal about his wants and dislikes.

so cyno keeps at it. for how strong his hands are, how stained in blood, right now they are gentle, his callused fingers massaging in slow circles at the base of one ear, then the other, fingernails scratching gently at the soft tufts of fur. thoughtlessly, cyno lowers his head and closes his eyes, pressing his nose and jaw against the crown of tighnari's head, and breathing him in. his scent is so comforting. his voice is low and muffled when he speaks. ]

Tell me when you want me to stop.

[ because he could lie like this all day. ]

[forestwatcher]

Mmf.

[Though his tail is flicking from side to side it isn't in any way a movement of agitation. The sway is a lazy one, almost in time with the slow circles that Cyno is drawing against his ears, and a small smile comes to his lips when he feels the press of nose and lips against the top of his head.

They have always been so comfortable getting close like this, haven't they.

Tighnari stretches out and sighs, and he curls his arm around to dig his fingers gently into Cyno's hair.]

You're spoiling me.