Within Our Friendship // Cynonari // Genshin Impact

1: The Forest Ranger

(I'm trying my best by looking at whatever comics I can find to motivate myself. I've.. seen some stuff..😀)

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I must still decline." Tighnari said. He crossed his arms, his ear flicking at the thought of joining the Akademiya.

"Tighnari, your master is an integral part of this effort, and now he requires your assistance." Khajeh, the Haravatat Sage along with a few Akademiya students were stood in front of the forest ranger's house in Gandharva Ville.

"And how long will I be required to stay?" Tighnari would question. His tail twitched, hanging low towards the ground, but curved upward to avoid resting on the probably dirty ground.

Khajeh shook his head. "Uh— there's no definite answer as of now."

Tighnari squinted his eyes. "Do you mean to tell me that despite coming all this way here to Gandharva Ville, you still can't answer the questions I laid out in the letter to my master?" He shook his head, his ears swaying back and forth at the motion. "If that's the case, then I'm afraid I cannot give you a definite answer either."

A researcher, Ghulam, who was beside Khajeh wanted to argue. "Tighnari! But you—"

Khajeh sighed to cut him off. "So be it.. Come, Ghulam, we're leaving." Then he and Ghulam would turn away, and started to walk off in the failure to recruit Tighnari.

After they were finally far enough away from his house, Tighnari would sigh, and went back inside his house.

"Master Tighnari! ..Are those scholars still trying to convince you to join the Akademiya?" Collei would ask. She seemed to be holding a bowl of batter and wore a hat and apron keeping her clothes clean.

"Yes, Collei. They always come back once a week. I suppose they aren't ready to give up." Tighnari said.

Collei put the bowl down. After wiping her hands, she'd hold what look like a hacky sack that she'd fidget with. "It seems like the Akademiya really like you."

"Ah, they've been like that ever since I've left. Everyone was so sad when I said I decided to quit. I'm not sure why they're all so eager to get me back into it." Tighnari's ear flicked as he looked toward the door. "Maybe it's their intrusive thoughts controlling their actions."

"I feel like you should just tell them to leave you alone. They come by here too much, don't they?" Collei would question.

"I practically have told them to back off, many times. That's just them letting the hint go unnoticed. The idea is that they should realize their own actions. But I suppose the Akademiya lacks the knowledge of self-awareness." Tighnari tilted his head at the beat of self-awareness.

As she was lost in thought, Collei's hold on her little hacky sack suddenly loosened, and she dropped it on the floor.

Tighnari offered to pick it up for her, leaning over as he reached for it. Although it did seem that he forgot how close he got.

Collei felt the tips of Tighnari's ears brush against her face, and she flushed. Even though there wasn't a lot, the fur on his ears were soft. She held back a fan girl shriek as Tighnari stood up holding her hacky sack, in which he gave it back to her.

After a moment, it seemed that Tighnari noticed what had just happened. "Oh! Sorry, sometimes I forget how long my ears are." He would gently tug on one of his ears.

So soft! It felt like it was her first time coming into contact with her master's big ears. Although she was allowed this one time long ago to pet them, having them touch her face was something else.