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“We are still going to Lambad’s tonight, yes?” Cyno asked groggily.
Tighnari gave him an unamused look. “You can’t even walk on your own. I think we will be skipping it tonight.”
Cyno seemed to deflate at this, his weight becoming even more dead as Tighnari struggled to help him along, having his arm thrown over the forest watcher’s shoulders. “But… I have a new card.”
“How could you possibly think of TCG right now?”
“Trick question. I am always thinking of it.”
“Cyno. You are seriously injured. I’m taking you back to Gandharva Ville to look after you, not to play games.”
With a defeated sigh, the general kept his eyes forward. He was a bit thrown off by how disoriented he felt. The trees merged into each other and swirled around the path ahead, leaving it a complete mystery as to where they were heading. “This is not the correct direction.”
“I think I know how to get back to my home.”
Cyno grumbled and complained the rest of the walk back before Tighnari hurried him past the prying eyes of the other forest watchers and into the medical hut.
He eased Cyno down onto the bed, but frowned in annoyance when he pushed back. “Mngh… No. I don’t want to lay down.”
“Cyno, would you just cooperate?”
“Nooo…” He weakly fought back until Tighnari grunted in annoyance and gave up.
“Fine. You can sit. But I need to examine your injuries.”
Cyno swayed slightly, eyes unfocused before wincing and putting a hand to his head. “Ugh… my head…”
“Yes, let’s start there.” He stood before the general as he carefully pressed his fingers into his scalp, brushing past his soft white hair to find any sort of bump or other abnormality.
Cyno melted into his touch, groaning quietly as he combatted the many sensations he was experiencing. For one, his head felt like it was going to explode. He had a splitting headache that he could feel even in his jaw and neck. He was no stranger to battle wounds, and he had managed to piece together that he had to have hit his head. Hard.
Tighnari’s thumb swiped gently over an abnormally raised bit of his scalp. He quickly moved back to that spot, parting Cyno’s hair to get a better look. Sure enough, there was a bump there. A pretty big one. “Archons, Cyno… What were you up against?”
“Uh…” He would’ve been more panicked about the fact that he could not even slightly recall what case he’d been working when he was injured, because he was getting tired. He didn’t have it in him to be concerned whatsoever.
“Uh?”
“I… don’t think I recall.”
“Oh, gods… Okay, what is your name?”
Cyno pretended to act offended, putting a hand to his chest in dismay. “Have you forgotten me so easily?”
Tighnari frowned and crossed his arms disapprovingly. “Seriously. Just answer my question.”
With a deep exhale, Cyno relented. “Cyno.”
“Good, and what is my name?”
“Tighnari.”
“Good. Does it hurt here?” He carefully prodded at the bump and gaged his friend’s reactions.
“Agh—!” Cyno grunted in discomfort as he reflexively leaned away. “Y-yes.”
“Alright, one moment please.”
Tighnari turned and moved towards his desk, bringing out a small wooden box containing different medicinal herbs. He opened it up, eyes scanning the neatly organised array of plants. He certainly had things to help ease the discomfort and treat his wound, but it was also important that Cyno stay hydrated. He brought a waterskin to the dazed man and held it out for him to take.
Cyno was still swaying ever so slightly as he stared at the waterskin with a blank expression. He made no moves to accept the water or even process that it was being offered to him.
Tighnari gave him a worried look, pressing a bit further. “Drink this, okay?”
Cyno looked about ready to fall over. “Uh.”
Concern ever increasing, Tighnari continued to ask him questions. It was very likely he was concussed, but it didn’t hurt to see just how much he was. “Can you spell your name backwards?”
“O… Yeah. O. N, C, Y. No, N, Y… O.”
“Are you being funny?”
Cyno would’ve loved to claim this as yet another incredible moment of impeccable wit and comedy, but he genuinely couldn’t even think straight. Between the dizziness and brutal headache, he was beginning to feel nauseous. “Mn… No. No, I am being serious.”
A look of concern painted Tighnari’s expression.
“Can I answer a different question?”
“Spell my name backwards.”
Cyno blinked. “…How about why did the sumpter beast cross the road?”
“At least your… unique sense of humour is still intact.”
Cyno’s eyes seemed to drift away again, staring blankly at nothing. Tighnari grabbed his own vision and held it up to Cyno’s face. The general blinked rapidly and furrowed his brow, put off by the sudden light shining in his eyes. His pupils looked to be slightly uneven sizes. The left was more dilated than the right and neither of them seemed to react or constrict against the vision’s light.
“You definitely have a concussion,” Tighnari concluded.
“May I have some water?”
“Of course. I tried to offer it to you earlier, but you didn’t seem to respond.”
Cyno took the waterskin from Tighnari and stared at it, looking almost like he didn’t know what to do with it. Thankfully, he still had the cognitive skills to recall how to drink water from a waterskin.
“Are you experiencing any other symptoms?”
Cyno did not respond. He’d finally managed to start taking sips of the water, looking more out of it by the second.
“Cyno?”
“Oh, hm?”
“…Are you experiencing any other symptoms?”
“Of what?”
Tighnari wanted to believe he was not joking around, but at the same time, he didn’t. From the haziness to the delayed reactions, it seemed Cyno had suffered quite the blow to the head. With a deep breath, he tried approaching this another way. “How are you feeling? Tell me specifically.”
Another several seconds dragged by before Cyno shook his head slightly in an attempt to refocus. “Ah, well… I have quite the headache. I’m very tired. Everything looks… a bit blurry. And… I’m feeling a bit nauseous.”
“Okay, lay down please. You need to rest. I’ll put together some medicine for you. Do you need a bin beside you?”
“Mn… No, I think I’m— hic—! Alright.”
Tighnari eyed him warily before slowly sliding a bin towards him anyways.
After fetching an ice pack and positioning it comfortably on Cyno’s head, Tighnari returned to his desk to set aside the ingredients he’d need for a healing agent. He was engrossed in this process, but his concentration was quickly broken when he heard a low, growling sound. His ears perked up then turned back where the sound came from. Turning his head, he found Cyno had finally laid down, but had a hand clenched over his stomach. He had a strained look on his face with his eyes squeezed shut.
“Are you alright?” Tighnari inquired, always concerned when Cyno would actually show his emotions like this.
Cyno’s eyes lolled back weakly then quickly refocused on the ceiling above him as he blinked slowly. “My stomach…”
Turning fully around now, Tighnari leaned back against the desk, tilting his head slightly. “Have you eaten today?”
Cyno once again took his time answering. Whether that be on purpose or not, it only fueled Tighnari’s worries. “I… I think I did.”
Tighnari frowned. Archons, Cyno’s memory was mush right now. He figured Cyno had at least had something in the morning, but it had been a few hours since his injury so everything prior to that was forgotten. “Okay, well… You should get some food in you too. Sometimes, drinking water on an empty stomach can upset it.”
“Oh.” Cyno’s tone was flat as his eyes fluttered shut once more.
Tighnari gathered a few rations to make a meal from and wound up with something simple (and hopefully) easy to digest.
Cyno just looked… exhausted. Another sight that was quite frankly rare to see. Tighnari felt like he had a tremendous responsibility. Not only was he helping his closest friend, but also the General Mahamatra. If word got out that he was out of commission, who knew how dangerous things could get back in the city. Tighnari glanced back at his friend again. He frowned when Cyno winced again at another sharp grumble in his gut.
After putting together a fairly light and bland meal, he headed over to the weak man. “Here, eat this.”
Cyno cracked an eye open before his face strained slightly as he sat himself up. “What is this?”
“Just some rice and fruit. Nothing too sweet.”
Staring blankly at the plate, Cyno was thrown for a complete loop when he couldn’t even focus his eyes on it. It looked like everything was double vision, swaying nauseatingly in circles that had his already upset stomach in knots. He blinked his eyes hard in an attempt to refocus, but it was no use. He had to have just been out of it from the head injury.
The last thing he wanted to do at that time was eat, but he was willing to try whatever Tighnari suggested in order to recover quickly. As he lifted his hands to take the dish, he felt a strange heaviness in his limbs. Like something was pushing against him, causing his arms to wobble a bit.
“Archons…” Tighnari muttered. He put the dish on the bedside table and put a hand on Cyno’s sweat-slicked forehead.
Cyno’s eyes widened a bit as his gaze remained fixed to where he’d thought the dish was. “Wha… where did it go?”
“I think you’ve got a fever as well…” Tighnari’s tone was soft but serious as he spoke mostly to himself.
“Uh… I think… I’m hungry?” Cyno asked more than stated.
“Okay, that’s something at least. Here, please eat what you can and remember to drink water.”
Cyno let the dish be placed in his hands and kept his eyes closed as often as he could to try and reduce the dizziness his scattered vision was causing him. He shakily brought the spoon to his mouth, holding it like he’d never used one before, and frowned. Just as he’d taken a bite, he decided he actually wasn’t hungry. “Mmf…” he grumbled with his mouth full.
Tighnari crossed his arms and tilted his head. “What’s the matter? It’s just rice.”
“Em nuh humry,” he mumbled, his mouth still full of rice.
“…What?”
He forced himself to swallow the bite before exhaling deeply. “I’m not hungry.”
With a crease in his brow, Tighnari sighed. “You just told me you were.”
“Uhm… yeah I—“ The bite of rice reached his stomach heavily, immediately causing deep grumbling sounds to emanate from it.
“You need to eat. I know you don’t feel well, but getting something in your stomach is going to help.”
Well… Cyno had already decided he would take all of Tighnari’s suggestions. Hopefully the next few bites would become easier. He took another bite and chewed with an uncomfortable expression. It was so bland… He wished he had something to put on it. Though that likely wouldn’t help his current situation.
Tighnari waited for him to swallow that bite before turning back to his desk. “I’ll make you some tea.”
He had everything he needed in order, he just needed to brew it now. He’d make it into a tea so it would hopefully be something Cyno could manage.
Several minutes of silence went by, filled only by the occasional scrape of the spoon against the plate and endless groaning from Cyno’s stomach.
Tighnari continued tending to Cyno as often as he could, checking if his fever was dropping and if he was drinking water.
At one point however, Cyno was looking especially distressed.
“Hey, what is it?” Tighnari asked softly, leaning down to be level with his friend’s face.
“Nari, I— Mmgh—!” The spoon dropped from his hand and clattered onto the plate noisily. Cyno’s now free hand immediately went to his stomach just as it groaned loudly, sounding almost like a bubbling pot.
Tighnari grabbed the plate from him and knelt down, putting a hand on his back. “Your stomach is still hurting?”
Cyno kept his eyes squeezed shut and his hand firmly clenched on his middle as he nodded. “W-worse… worse…”
Tighnari was baffled. How had rice had such a negative effect on his friend who was well-known for his usually iron stomach. “Are you going to be sick?”
“I’m— urrrrp—! Ough…
Tighnari took that as a yes, quickly grabbing the bin and placing it in Cyno’s lap, but it was quickly pushed away.
“No, I’m… I’m fine. Just… hurts.”
Still not convinced, Tighnari kept the bin nearby. “Here,” he said, standing up and grabbing something off the shelf. “Chew on this, it should help settle your stomach.”
Desperate to alleviate the pain, Cyno accepted what he was offered. It looked to be some sort of dried flower, but he didn’t bother trying to figure out which one. A few deep breaths later, Cyno laid back down, relieved that the pain seemed to have somewhat subsided. He would take anything over that stabbing sensation from before.
“Better?” Tighnari asked.
Cyno whined softly and nodded.
Feeling substantially relieved, Tighnari exhaled deeply.
“Thank you for taking care of me, Nari,” Cyno mentioned. His tone was genuine and sweet before it switched ever so slightly to that tone he used when he was about to drop some awful joke. “You really rose to the occasion.”
Tighnari turned around and frowned, his ear twitching.
“Do you get it? Rose. Like a Sumeru rose. Because you gave me a flower to chew on?”
Shooting him an unamused look, Tighnari didn’t bother to grace him with a response.
“No good? I thought that one was in-petal-ble.”
Silence.
“…And I’m not dandelion.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Tighnari finally said sternly.
Cyno smirked and closed his eyes again. With his incredible flower jokes, Tighnari was sure to cheer up soon.
As the tea brewed, Tighnari was in and out of the hut to attend to other matters needed of him by the other forest watchers. Although it seemed at first Cyno was getting a bit better, things slowly began to decline.
At one point, Tighnari reentered the hut to check on Cyno and found him laying curled up on his side, colour drained from his face and a pained expression twisting his features.
He stepped quietly towards the sick man. “Cyno?” he asked softly. If he were sleeping, Tighnari didn’t want to be too loud and wake him up. Cyno, however, was known for his sharp perception and awareness of his surroundings even in sleep.
He opened his eyes quickly before blinking against the sunlight with a wince. “Mnnghhhh…” he groaned.
Tighnari knelt down beside the cot. “Feeling any better?”
Cyno’s stomach gurgled angrily in response. “Ngh…! N-no. Ughhh… gods, my head…”
“Here, let me make the lighting a bit more comfortable in here.” Tighnari quickly stood up and made for the windows, drawing the giant fronds down to cover them and block out the excess sunlight.
Cyno released a deep breath, feeling only slightly more relieved. It didn’t alleviate much, but it was something.
Tighnari was worried. He’d been doing everything he was supposed to do to treat a concussion and simple battle injuries, yet Cyno’s condition only worsened. How all of this came just from a head bump was beyond him. There was an underlying issue for certain, but he hadn’t the slightest what it was. Based on the deterioration he was seeing in his friend, it seemed time was limited.
He pulled up a chair beside the cot and grabbed his notes. “What else are you experiencing?”
“Being looked after by a real cutie,” Cyno quipped, leaning onto his elbow and propping his upper half up.
Tighnari took a frustrated breath. “Cyno. I’m being serious.”
The general frowned and shrugged. “Uh…” He scoffed suddenly, sounding annoyed. “I don’t know?”
“What? How do you not know?”
“I already told you I don’t remember.”
Tighnari was taken aback by the sudden bit of attitude he was getting from his friend. Cyno never talked like this, least of all to him. “Is your stomach still hurting?”
“Yes…”
“Have you vomited?”
Cyno sat up and crossed his arms. “No.”
“Are you—“
“Can you stop pestering me?”
Shocked and quite frankly pissed, Tighnari stood up quickly. “I’m trying to help you. This is no time to be acting like a child.”
“I… I don’t want to talk right now.”
“Ugh…” Tighnari rolled his eyes. “That’s all you needed to say. I have some things to take care of, but I’ve brewed a tea for you that should work as a healing agent.”
“Tea?”
“Yes.” Moving towards the desk, Tighnari poured the concoction from the kettle to a small cup. “Drink it slowly and it should improve your condition.”
Cyno didn’t respond, he simply accepted the cup, his hands still uncoordinated. He had a solemn look on his face, keeping his eyes on the tea rather than his friend.
“Right, then. I’ll be back soon.” Tighnari began heading for the entrance to the hut before Cyno stopped him.
“Wait, Nari.”
Turning his head, Tighnari found himself feeling uncertain about what was going to be said next. Cyno telling bad jokes was one thing but him acting so rudely was extremely out of character and frustrating. He braced himself for the tirade, his ears lowered back.
“I’m sorry…”
The forest watcher perked up and blinked. “It’s… it’s alright. Just… drink the tea and rest. I will check in on you later.”
Cyno still wasn’t looking at him. His eyes lingered on the cup he’d held on his lap, the swirling light purple liquid within it looking warm and inviting. “Okay…”
His voice was soft, barely audible but Tighnari had good enough hearing to catch it. He nodded once more despite Cyno not looking at him and headed out.
—
Several hours had gone by, Tighnari occasionally coming to check in on his friend. He was pleased to find Cyno sleeping peacefully on his side, looking much less distressed. Tighnari went to gather some different foods now that he had more time to put together a proper meal for his friend to have when he woke up. Gods, he was looking forward to seeing him awake and feeling better.
Unfortunately, when he returned to the hut with the meal he’d prepared, he was surprised to find Cyno sitting up, resting his head on his knees with his arms wrapped around his legs.
“Cyno? Is everything okay?”
Cyno lifted his head slowly. He looked awful. His brows were creased in discomfort and he wore a deep frown. His eyes looked glassy and his skin had almost no colour left in it. Tighnari also noticed how sweaty he appeared.
“Archons, what’s going on?” Tighnari asked, setting the dish down and rushing to the bedside.
“I’m… I… Mngh…” Cyno hugged his legs tighter as his stomach let out a sickly groan.
Tighnari stood and fetched the dish before returning to where he was. “Here, eat this.”
“No… I’m not hungry.”
“Just try it. You haven’t eaten in hours and your last meal wasn’t of much substance.”
Cyno eyed this dish warily, undeniably interested and enticed by the savoury aroma, but feeling ill at the thought of trying to consume anything. He sighed, feeling too weak to argue any further anyhow. He accepted the dish and did his best to eat it. Every time he swallowed, it was like a punch to his gut. The flavour was incredible, but trying to keep everything down was agony. He wound up finishing most of it before he shook his head and handed it back to Tighnari.
“Did you want something else?”
“No. It was very good but… I don’t think I can—“ His stomach groaned loudly, cramping angrily at having been filled any further. “Oh, gods, Tighnari… I can’t—“ He tightly held his fist to his mouth, eyes squeezed shut as he muffled a deep belch.
“You need to try to keep it down.”
“N-Nari— the bin, please…!”
There was no helping it, Tighnari handed him the bin only to watch as Cyno vomited violently into it. He was at a loss. The tea should’ve worked at least somewhat. He slept for several hours and seemed to be doing okay. Why was he still getting worse? It seemed everything Tighnari had tried was temporarily treating symptoms while something much worse brewed within the general.
Rifling through his books, he searched frantically for a solution as Cyno retched in the background. This was a concussion for certain. Nausea was a common side effect, so this wasn’t too out of the ordinary. But for him to look so sickly. It was almost as if he…
Tighnari’s eyes widened in realisation. Could… could Cyno have been poisoned?
Faster than he ever had, he threw together an anti-poison, turning his head to check on his friend every few seconds. Cyno had exhaustedly collapsed back, his arm hanging weakly off the side of the bed as he breathed shallowly.
Once it was complete, (not perfect by any means but certainly complete), he lifted Cyno’s head and held the bowl to his mouth. “Drink it slowly.”
“Mmngh…!” Cyno turned his head away, squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn’t take anything else in his stomach. He couldn’t handle it.
“Drink it, dammit!”
With a weak whimper, Cyno relented, albeit very reluctantly. Whatever he was consuming was warm and very bitter. His face scrunched up at the taste and he grunted in distress.
“I know, I know… Just… please.”
Once it was all gone, Cyno breathed out a groan as his head fell back against the pillow. His chest rose and fell shakily as he lifted his arms and laid them over his eyes.
Tighnari put the bowl down on the floor and knelt beside his friend, watching him in distress. It took only about a minute before Cyno’s face was screwing up in pain again and he groaned loudly as his stomach gurgled furiously.
“No, no, no. Cyno, you have to keep this down…!” Tighnari clamped his hand over Cyno’s mouth tightly.
Cyno struggled against him, knowing it was absolutely inevitable. He moaned loudly and tried to push Tighnari’s hand away, but he felt like he had absolutely no strength in his limbs. Gods, was he dying…?
“Cyno, please don’t—“
Suddenly, Cyno’s body spasmed as liquid rushed up his throat and against Tighnari’s hand. He began choking now, unable to wrestle out of his friend’s grip. Tighnari wanted so badly to force him to swallow it again, but he just couldn’t. Cyno was in serious danger. And Tighnari hated himself for not having noticed sooner. He cursed as he pulled his hand away and vomit spewed from Cyno’s mouth and onto the bed, dripping down the sides of his face and soaking into his hair.
“No…!” Tighnari wanted to scream. He needed to get help. He knew this would likely spread around the village and eventually get back to the city, but he couldn’t do this alone anymore. He had another idea, but someone had to look after Cyno and keep him stable. While he did consider Collei, not only was she out on patrol, but it was likely she’d have a very difficult time emotionally with the patient being someone she so deeply cared for.
He poked his head out of the hut and spotted one of the forest watchers who specialised in medicine. Gods, he didn’t want to bring anyone else in, but he had to. He called her over and she looked back at him in concern. None of the forest watchers had ever seen Tighnari lose his cool. For him to be in tears, it had to have been important. She rushed over and entered the hut.
Cyno had enough lucidity to realise Tighnari had brought someone else in. He was mortified, but what else were they going to do? His vision was blurry and everything sounded like it was underwater, but he knew Tighnari’s voice well. And he could hear the pain in it.
Everything was moving so quickly yet somehow as if it were in slow motion. The absolute agony in his head and stomach was spreading to his chest and arms. This was it—he was dying.
Tighnari had never been more focused in his life. Although his brain felt scattered, he knew what he needed to do. An injection. He’d have to administer the anti-poison another way, but he knew Cyno would not be pleased with it. He had very negative feelings towards needles after having been experimented on in his past. But there was no other way to do it quickly and effectively. The form Tighnari had made the anti-poison in was only for consumption. It would be dangerous to inject it into him, so he had to rework the ingredients.
The forest watcher he’d called in was asking a lot of questions, but Tighnari did not answer her. He had to focus. He instructed her to just keep Cyno stable while he put together an antidote.
Again, it was completed but very imperfect. All Tighnari could hope was that it would be powerful enough at least to stabilise him further so he’d have more time to properly put together his treatment plan.
He was sweating, his hands shaking as he grabbed a syringe and filled it with the antidote. Gods he was so scared. This had to work. It had to. If it didn’t… No, he couldn’t think about that.
Hurrying over to Cyno, he held one of his arms outward and readied himself to inject the medicine. Despite the absolute stupor he was in, Cyno’s eyes locked onto the needle. His eyes widened and he thrashed again Tighnari’s hold, quickly breaking loose and shoving him back.
“Go get more people,” Tighnari instructed the other forest watcher. “We need to hold him down.”
She nodded. “Y-yes!”
The moment she was out of the hut, Tighnari could hear her calling for help. Well… so much for secrecy.
He glanced down at Cyno, cringing at the raw horror in his eyes. “Cyno, it’s going to be alright. You’re going to be okay.”
Cyno couldn’t form proper words at this point. Everything hurt, a burning sensation over the entirety of his body. His heart pounded far too quickly and he could hardly breathe. He wanted to trust Tighnari. Of course he wanted to. But everything that they’d tried so far made everything worse. Now to be seeing him standing above him with one of the few genuine fears Cyno had, he wasn’t sure he could find that trust in him right then. The logical part of his brain was barely functioning, overtaken by pure fight or flight. He wanted to get up and flee, but there was no way he’d even be able to stand. All he could do was whine softly and shake his head, pleading with Tighnari.
Just as he felt himself beginning to lose consciousness, the hut suddenly filled with people. All the forest watchers just as frantic as the one who’d gathered them. Tighnari instructed them to restrain him but keep his inner elbow exposed.
No. No. No. He couldn’t do this. Cyno gritted his teeth and used every last bit of strength he had to push everyone off of him. There was nothing he could do. He was held down beneath a weight he couldn’t even fathom without his full strength to fight back. He couldn’t tell how many other forest watchers had arrived. Four? Five? Either way, he was no match for them at that moment.
He gritted his teeth and thrashed again, unable to escape as he felt the sting of the needle entering his arm.
“Hold his arm very still,” Tighnari commanded.
Sure enough, Cyno felt nearly paralysed behind their strength. All he could do was scream as the fluid was injected into him. This was all far too similar to his past traumas. Down to being restrained. He still felt the stinging sensation long after Tighnari had removed the needle.
Tighnari quickly set the syringe down on the desk and sat beside Cyno, squeezing between the forest watchers who continued holding the general down even as he was slowly beginning to relax against their strength.
As Cyno became more subdued, he blinked slowly before turning his head towards Tighnari. “Nari… ‘M sorry for my behaviour,” he slurred.
Tighnari knelt down beside him. “It’s alright, you couldn’t help it. I’m… I’m sorry for not catching this sooner. And for… putting you through all that.”
Cyno let out a long breath, his eyes beginning to close. “I… I never told you.”
“Told me what?”
“Why the sumpter beast crossed the road.”
Tighnari couldn’t help but feel overwhelming endearment at that comment. He breathed out a laugh, still exasperated but so relieved to hear him say something that was so… Cyno. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
“Mm…”
Tighnari patiently awaited the answer, but watched as Cyno slipped into unconsciousness, looking exhausted but peaceful.
—
After Tighnari was certain Cyno was stable, he dismissed the forest watchers. He thanked them for their help but instructed them not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even to Cyno.
He knew he couldn’t guarantee word wouldn’t get out. Especially with this many people involved. But all he could do was threaten them with harsh punishment, possibly even immediate removal from the Forest Watchers. This seemed to scare them enough, but still. People liked to talk.
Exhausted and still feeling adrenaline rushing through his body, Tighnari collapsed onto the chair, resting his head in his hands.
Cyno would be okay. They’d checked his vitals and assessed his condition, determining him to be safe. That still didn’t take away the fear and despair over having almost lost him. He already worries about Cyno enough, but he could already tell he was going to be hovering quite a bit over the general for some time.
Weakly lifting his head, Tighnari assessed the damage. There was vomit on the bed and on Cyno—as well as in the bin beside the bed that had tragically been knocked over during the scuffle. Several herbs had been knocked over on the desk, blankets were strewn about the room and the floor was covered in muddy footprints. Dammit… He should’ve had the others help him clean up before he dismissed them.
He took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair, head tipping back as he closed his eyes. He allowed himself two minutes of stillness before forcing himself up. He had a lot of work to do.
—
Cyno wound up sleeping for the next twelve hours. He slept right through being washed and dressed in clean clothes as well as being moved back onto the cot once the bedding had been replaced.
Tighnari wanted to sleep. Archons, he had never been more exhausted. But he was too nervous. He couldn’t help the neurotic need to continuously check to make sure Cyno was alive and doing alright. It wasn’t until the forest watcher who’d initially been brought in hesitantly reentered the hut to see if things had settled. She found Cyno still fast asleep in the cot with Tighnari sitting in the chair beside him, top half draped over Cyno’s legs. She knocked softly on the wall beside her, but Tighnari had finally passed out.
She smiled at the sweet sight and stepped forward. There were still some books knocked down and jars of ingredients tipped over on the desk. As quietly as she could, she tidied up the mess, fetched fresh water for the two to drink, and laid a blanket over Tighnari. Just to ease her mind, she checked Cyno’s vitals again and breathed a sigh of relief when she found them to be normal. Now… she was going to bed.
—
It wasn’t until around noon the following day that Cyno finally stirred. He immediately began assessing his surroundings. He was still feeling a bit sluggish, but the pain had almost completely gone away. The room was filled with a pleasant aroma. Likely incense. And beside him, Tighnari scribbled something down in his notes as he sipped tea.
“H—“ He tried to speak but his voice caught in his throat. The sound was enough to catch Tighnari’s attention however.
“Cyno!”
The general simply settled for just a polite wave, his arm feeling heavy.
“How are you feeling? Is everything okay? Does anything hurt?”
Cyno cleared his throat and sighed. He managed to speak, but his voice was still hoarse. “Hey. I’m fine.”
“Thanks the archons…”
“No, thank the Nari.”
Tighnari laughed, genuine and once again relieved.
“What do you remember?”
“Hmmm… not… much.”
“Alright… do you have any pain anywhere?”
“Nothing serious. Just a bit sore.”
“That’s to be expected. You’re going to need to rest here for another day.”
“Justice never sleeps.”
Tighnari gives him a look, indicating to Cyno that he would indeed not be going anywhere anytime soon.
“May I have some water?”
“Of course.” Tighnari quickly set down what he was holding and fetched the waterskin for his friend.
Cyno was relieved to find that while his hand was a bit shaky, it was nothing too concerning. And everything looked normal again. No more blurriness. No more harsh trembling. He just felt like he needed to sleep longer.
Tighnari sat on the side of the bed, looking like he was contemplating something. Cyno could tell he wanted to speak, but he let him decide when he wanted to speak up. He sipped the water, loving the refreshing feel of it hydrating his parched throat. It was still strained from vomiting, but it was such a relief to finally feel like he could keep something down.
Finally Tighnari decided he was ready to speak up. “Cyno…”
“Mhm?” he hummed in response, still holding the waterskin to his lips.
“You… You need to stay here another day.”
Cyno lowered the waterskin and tilted his head slightly. “But… I am feeling better now.”
“Yes, but… You were poisoned. It was a tremendous strain on your body, especially since…” His volume lowered a bit. “It took me so long to figure that out.”
“Tighnari. I need to return to the city. If word gets around that I’m absent, things could get out of control. The other mantra don’t even know when I will be returning.”
“They can handle it for a few days. But you, you cannot. There are limits to every body, including one as strong as your own. I cannot in good conscience let you go back there so soon after what happened.”
“Tighnari—“
“What if you’re not as recovered as you feel you are? What if you’re struck down in battle because your body was not prepared to return to such action. It would not look good if some petty criminal took down the General Mahamatra.”
Cyno blinked, actually considering. That was… a very good point. Cyno wanted to believe he’d be fine. He’s worked through far worse. But gods… That poison had him nearly dead just the day prior. If any lingering weakness remained, he could not risk looking weak and potentially getting more injured. He exhaled in resignation. “I will stay… for one more night. Then I must get back.”
Tighnari frowned. While he obviously was not satisfied with that, it was better than him strolling back to the city alone with Archons knew what remaining symptoms. “Okay. One night. You have to stay in bed and rest for the day. We will get up, do some stretches, and check on your condition in a few hours, but for now… Rest. I’ll prepare a meal and some additional medicine for you while you do.
Cyno exhaled deeply, unsurprised that Tighnari managed to talk him into something yet again. Even when it came to matters as serious as his rank and position, he still folded under that intense stare and irritated ear twitch of the Chief Officer of the Forest Watchers.
He drank more water before settling back into the bed, curling up on his side and finding himself very quickly drifting off.
—
As promised, Tighnari took very good care of Cyno. Monitoring his condition while trying to treat him as quickly and efficiently as possible in the small amount of time he was promised. Once Cyno had gone to sleep for the night, Tighnari breathed a sigh of relief.
Again, it wasn’t ideal that Cyno would be leaving in the morning, but he understood. As much as it annoyed him to no end, he understood. He believed he made significant progress in Cyno’s recovery over the course of the day. This was the only reason he felt a bit more comfortable with Cyno’s decision.
A very tired sigh from Tighnari was the last thing he managed before heading to bed. On his way out of the medical hut, he paused and glanced back at his sleeping companion. He looked so peaceful and relaxed. His eyelashes rested on his tanned face as he lay curled up comfortably on his side. Dammit… Tighnari couldn’t stay away.
He glanced over to the cot beside Cyno’s and made his decision. Although his friend was probably fine, he didn’t want to be too far from him until he actually left Gandharva Ville. Until then, Tighnari rested on his side, facing Cyno and exhaling in relief. It was certainly nice to sleep on a bed again instead of a chair. In no time at all, he was out.
—
“Please, just… try to take it easy for a few more days,” Tighnari advised, handing Cyno a small bag containing the medicinal tea and some naan to take with him on the journey back to the city.
Cyno nodded, accepting the gesture. “I will do my best.”
Tighnari watched as he left. The two waved to each other before Cyno was out of sight. He knew Cyno wasn’t going to take it easy in the least, but Tighnari just had to believe in his capabilities and trust that he’d recover from this just as he did anything else.
And just like that, it was back to business as usual.