~Alliances and Animosities~ - {CyNari}

Admiration [Ch 5]

The clock on the wall ticked prominently along to the drumming of my fingers on the table. I sighed audibly and adjusted my hat as the door of my office opened. The young fox entered the room and closed the door with their tail while holding a steaming mug.

I folded my hands in front of me as the mug was placed on my table. "Here's your coffee, General." They backed up from the table and placed themselves onto their designated chair. "Thank you, Bas. Anything going on out there?" I asked them as I stirred around in the mug. They shook their head. "Nothing out of the ordinary, Sir." I nodded.

An awkward silence filled the room and I took a sip of my coffee. "Hey, Bas." They looked over to me. "Yes, sir?" I placed the mug back onto the table. "What did the sushi say to the bee?" Their ear twitched signaling their confusion. "Huh? I- Uhm I don't know?", they said while tilting their head. "Wasabi! ...Do you get it?" I had a small smile on my face awaiting their reaction to my joke. I admit I'm not the best at judging the humor of others so I'll try some different types of jokes on Bas. How will they react to this one?

They looked at me with big eyes, not expecting the General Mahamatra to be making puns. "Uhm, I guess-" A loud knock on my door interrupted them and both our heads snapped into its direction. "Come in!", I call out as I take another sip of my coffee. "Excuse me, General, but we have an urgent mission for you to take care of. Another smuggling of canned knowledge just outside Aaru Village. Here are the details-", the Herbad placed a letter in front of me, "-Don't loose time, you two." She left my office immediately afterwards and we looked at each other before standing up. "So, Bas, our first mission. Remember that you try to not get in danger! I already have the luggage prepared for us. Grab your weapon and we are off!"

My cloak was softly swaying in the wind flowing through the forest. I kind of missed having leaves and branches beneath my feet, it would remind me of Gandharva. It's been a month already since I last saw Tighnari and it's getting harder and harder to cope, day after day. I missed him dearly but it's not safe yet. I noticed the familiar footsteps behind us as we walked through the forest.

We arrived at the end of the Vissudha Field as the sun slowly sank towards the horizon. "Let's find a place to set up camp." I looked around and found a path leading up towards a hill. "Let's go up there. The forest is pretty wet so we need to stay at an elevated area. Keep that in mind!", I said to them as we ascended towards the top. We set up our tents and I prepared a campfire while Bas went foraging for food.

A loud bird call could be heard and my dark dusk bird landed on my shoulder. I reached into the side pocket of my backpack and pulled out some seeds for him. Skimming over Tighnaris words I realized that I really missed his voice, his hugs, everything... Man, when did I get so attached to him? I always looked forward to meeting him and Collei after long trips but never this much... It made sense, I finally had a real home to return to. I quickly wrote a reply and sent him off again, flying back home.

I poked in the ambers with a stick and didn't notice Bas walking back up towards the camp. "General, are you okay?" They placed the berries and fruit down and sat down on the opposite side of the campfire. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... homesick I guess?", I said as I tossed the stick into the fire and sat back a bit. "...Haven't been home in a month..." They laid their tail into their lap and started freeing their fur from the sticks. "I thought you live at the Akademiya, no?" I just shook my head as I got the food ready. "No, it's just temporary. Since I'm being followed around I don't want them near my partner-"

I handed them their food and prayed in silence that they didn't hear the last part but their ears shot up. Bas looked at me with big eyes full of curiosity and leaned a bit closer. "Oh, you're in a relationship? Tell me about them! Also how come you never brought it up until now?- oh, I'm sorry, General. I'm not in a position to ask about your personal life... I'm just a sucker for romance." They chuckled uncomfortably, I saw their vision lighting up higher but I didn't sense any danger from them so I might as well tell Bas about Nari, of course without actually addressing him.