Chapter VIII: Act III

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Cw: mention of death
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Starry Night
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"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" A familiar sassy voice asked, capturing (Y/n)'s attention.

(E/c) drifted off to the side as their owner took notice of Tighnari's figure.

(Y/n) raised a brow at the other male who decided to sit down beside him.

"Shouldn't YOU be asleep?" (Y/n) questioned, flipping the question back at Tighnari.

Tighnari gave a hum, amused at the conversation that he started between the two of them.

"Yes, I should, but my mind is currently on a mission," Tighnari answered.

(Y/n) hummed lowly. "A mora for your thoughts?" He retorted.

Tighnari's eyes widened, surprised to see that someone would listen to him.

A certain Mahamatra would listen to him but he would always add in dad jokes every single time.

Tighnari's tail thumped lightly against the ground, trying to figure out what to start with.

"It's just... I'm worried," the male began while turning his attention to the night sky.

(Y/n) stayed silent, but nodded his head.

Tighnari frowned, causing his ears to lower. "Sometimes... I worry if I'm good enough to run this place," he continued.

The (H/c)ette's ear twitched, the male keeping his (E/c) hues on the gradient-eyed figure beside him.

"The Akademiya is becoming a lot more persistent in wanting me to join them for scholar reasons, but they just won't stop despite all the times I denied the invitations."

(Y/n) hummed lightly.

Tighnari released a heavy sigh from his lips as his shoulders lowered in a more comfortable position.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," Tighnari mumbled.

The (H/c)-haired male nodded his head before sitting criss-cross and leaning against the palm of his hand once settling his elbow on his right knee.

"Tighnari..." (Y/n) trailed off.

Tighnari's ears perked up as he turned his attention to the taller sitting male beside him.

A gentle smile slipped onto (Y/n)'s lips.

"I might not be able to connect with you, and might not know what's going on behind closed doors... but, I can tell you one thing. You're doing a wonderful job of being a Forest Watcher for Gandharva and Sumeru," (Y/n) started in a reassuring tone.

Tighnari's ears lifted as he gazed at the starry-eyed male beside him.

(Y/n) chuckled softly. "Collei speaks so highly of you, and I believe every single praise she sings in your name. If you had to ask everyone here, every single one of them would agree that you're a wonderful person that loves the forest a lot more than they probably do," he continued.

Tighnari's right ear twitched, his hands trembling at hearing the comforting tone.

(Y/n) looked back up at the sky. "Those scholars you speak of? Keep fighting back. Don't let their words haunt you. If I wanna be honest... the scholars and the Akademiya don't deserve you in any way," he finished.

A sniffle captured the (H/c)-haired male's attention, causing him to look over in confusion.

His eyes widened when he saw the teary-eyed male.

Tighnari rubbed away at the tears that slipped down his cheeks and sent a smile toward the half-Khaenri'ah and half-elf male beside him.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that..." Tighnari thanked the other male quietly.

(Y/n) blinked, but nodded his head. "You're welcome, Tighnari."

Tighnari looked toward the night sky, gazing at the stars and moon with a soft look on his face.

"You remind me of Asmodeus," he finally says.

(E/c) eyes quickly widened before returning the normal size.

"Asmodeus? Why him?" (Y/n) asked, raising a brow at the fox male beside him.

"Despite fairy tales saying that he was a bad person... he isn't. He was one of the people that made Sumeru like it is today," Tighnari answered.

"Was? What do you mean by 'was'?" (Y/n) asked, wanting to know more about the possibility of his past life.

The (H/c)-haired male was already making assumptions that these glitched memories of his were a part of him.

As if... they were trying to return on their own.

"He died 500 years ago. He lost control after losing someone extremely dear to him. The only way to stop him was to kill him before anyone else could die or get injured," Tighnari answered.

'I died... that many years ago? But why don't I remember that?' (Y/n) wondered.

"Who killed Asmodeus?" The (H/c)-haired male questioned.

Tighnari blinked, "Two archons."

A sudden pain struck (Y/n)'s head, but he quickly ignored it.

The male sent a teasing grin. "You're easy to talk to when you're not on the job," (Y/n) points out.

Tighnari gave an amused look, "I better be."

A laugh escaped (Y/n)'s lips.

Tighnari brought his knees up to his chest and leaned up against them, dangling a single arm.

The fox male sent a smile at the (H/c)-haired figure beside him.

(Y/n) rolled his eyes in amusement, taking notice of how the stars reflected off of Tighnari's gradient-colored eyes.

A mixture of earthy colors, green and brown, shined brightly underneath the stars and the moon's light.

"Maybe we could do this again one day," (Y/n) finally says, breaking the silence.

Tighnari nodded his head in agreement. "We should," he agreed.

Silence ensued between the two of them as one of them looked up at the sky with soft eyes, and the other was staring at them with a look of adoration and comfort.

Maybe one of these days...

They would have another moment like this.

Just a moment for the both of them to feel comfortable in each other's presence.

But will that day ever happen?

Only fate can answer that.

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