Tighnari's Guide To Why You Should Not Eat Sentient Fungi (Or, Why You Should!)

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Doing what?"

You try to convince Tighnari that you have no idea what he's talking about, but judging by his reaction, it really doesn't seem to work.

It doesn't help that this is your third sweetwater mushroom this month.

"I have explained to you countless times what the effects of sweetwater mushrooms are. I've also explained the effects of raw rukkashava mushrooms, the large glowing mushrooms in the mushroom forest, and even the sentient fungi that riddle the forest grounds."

Tighnari opens his mouth before just sighing. You shrug. "I'm a bit forgetful?" It's a silly and sheepish response, but you're not very good at making up excuses. You'd think by the fourth or fifth scolding you would be.

Tighnari stammers for a bit, at a loss for words. That didn't work.

"You ate a sentient fungus. That is not forgetfulness that is- I don't even- what could possibly motivate you to eat a breathing, floating fungus?! Do you have a death wish?! We didn't even have a filled reaserch paper on what would happen if you tried to eat those because anyone who tried was a known idiot!  I can't even fathom an explanation as to why in the entirety of Teyvat-"

"Yep, I get it. I'm really stupid for doing a really dumb thing. Yeah, yeah. Anyways, would you mind readressing the toxic mushrooms again? Juuuust in case i do a stupid thing all over again? Please?" You give him your most convincing puppy eyes. They probably didn't work but he agrees anyways. You know he'd never miss a chance to rant about mushrooms.

You've always found his enthusiam about them endearing.

"... I don't exactly appreciate being interrupted, but it certainly couldn't hurt."

Tighnari clears his throat.

"The first and most important thing to note about Sumeru's fungi is that while some are edible, that's certainly not the case with all of them. Some fungi, like the sweetwater mushroom cause smaller adverse effects like halucinations, while others - rukkashava mushrooms, for instance - are potentially fatal. Distinguishing the difference between these mushrooms is extremely important ..."

You listen to him ramble on about the difference between edible and sweetwater mushrooms for the first half before moving on to rukkashavae fungi. He then explains the effects of the evolved fungi around Sumeru - emphasising that it's for your sake - and you wink at him. He glares at you before going back to what he was saying as you chuckle to yourself.

You haven't been a forest ranger for too long; you graduated under Tighnari pretty recently in fact. You had applied to be forest ranger trainee, and you were luckily accepted. Immediately, you saw Tighnari and if you didn't believe in love at first sight, you certainly did now.

When he introduced himself as your instructor, you mentally fist-pumped as he started to tell you about one of the most important lessons you'd ever learn as a trainee. The difference between fatal, poisonous, and harmless fungi.

Even though you did try to listen, you wouldn't stop staring at his ears. His big, tall, fluffy, ears that looked oh so soft. He seemed to notice evident by his mildly annoyed questioning of 'is something troubling you?' to which you practically begged to touch his ears. Much to your dismay, he replied with a very adamant 'no.' before continuing on. You giggled and just stared at him the whole way through.

After a while - and a lot of poisonous mushrooms - you two started to get closer. Tighnari may seem stern at first, but the way he tends to people shows that at the root of it all he does care; even while scolding it's in their best interests. You realized that when you two started joking around and having fun.