Canon-Compliant, Fluff, Longing

After hours spent recording observation after observation of varying fungi species, what roused Tighnari from his focus was a tapping on the wall of his hut, followed by a little squawk. It was a noise the forest watcher knew all too well, a smile quickly making its way to his face as he set aside his work for a change. He made sure to pick up a dish sitting at the corner of his desk filled with all sorts of birdseed before making his way to the source of the noise.

As he had expected, sitting at the window was none other than Cyno's messenger dusk bird, Bartleby, who had tilted his head and squawked yet again at the sight of the dish that the fox hybrid held in his hands. "Thank you, Bartleby." Setting the dish of birdseed on the windowsill and pushing it toward the dusk bird, Tighnari reached for the satchel tied around the bird's neck, pulling out a folded up note from within the confines of the leather casing. Leaving the bird to peck away at the seed, the forest watcher sat back down at his desk and unfolded the letter.

The letter in and of itself was nothing unusual- Cyno had started it off by apologizing for his expedition taking longer than expected, promising to stop by to visit as soon as he got back. He then proceeded to recount his experience, telling tales of his journey and all of the people he'd meet. It was mostly the same as all the other letters that he'd receive from Cyno, yet Tighnari found himself hanging onto every word written on the paper. These letters meant that the General Mahamatra was doing okay, a thought that brought comfort to the forest watcher.

Near the end of the letter, there was something unusual that caught Tighnari's eye- prompting him to reread the line to make sure he actually read it right.

Whenever you have free time, I want you to look up at the moon. Even though we're far apart, we will always be under the same sky, looking up at the same moon. The thought brings me comfort during journeys like these, and I hope it makes you feel the same.

The words sounded as if they came straight from a Fontaine fairytale, eliciting a snort from the forest watcher. It was ridiculously cheesy and sickeningly sweet, enough to coerce Tighnari into actually following along with Cyno's request. He rose from his desk, clutching the letter close to his heart as he approached the window. Resting his elbows on the space next to Bartleby, Tighnari leaned forward and tilted his head up.

With his hut so high up into the sky, he had a clear of the stars and the moon, shimmering and glistening. "I wonder how you think of these things, sometimes," he mumbled fondly to himself, tail swishing side to side as he admired the view.

"Master Tighnari!" He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed Collei approaching. He turned his head to the source of the voice, resting his chin on his palm. "I just got back from patrol and everything went smoothly!"

"That's good to hear." Tighnari mused, only half paying attention. She was getting better and better with each passing day- he wouldn't be surprised if eventually she'd be the one organizing the patrols.

Collei was quick to take notice of how out of it Tighnari seemed. "Is everything alright?" She asked, clutching the hem of her outfit nervously.

"Hm?" Tighnari blinked. "Yes, everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

Collei contemplated saying something for a moment, only to shake her head. "It's nothing." She knew that look on his face- that little smile that always made itself known whenever he was with Cyno. She couldn't help but give a knowing smile of her own. "Goodnight, Master. Also, tell Cyno I said hi!" she winked, promptly taking her leave before Tighnari could say anything else.

Tighnari raised his brow at her last comment. Had it really been that obvious that he was looking at a letter from Cyno? He turned his gaze back to the object in question currently in his grasp, sighing softly. "What am I going to do with you, Cyno?" he hummed, reading the last few lines that his lover had left for him.

At the very end of the paper was a singular line that nearly made Tighnari facepalm.

P.S; I guess you could say I am over the moon for you, my love.

Author's Note

Hiii! Feels like it's been a while! Meant to post this last night but I kept getting distracted LOL. I took inspiration for this chapter from a poem I wrote for a cute girl the other day, heehee ^w^ It's one of the more shorter chapters, but I hope you find it as tender as I do!

Word Count: ~800 Words