The Smell of Old Books and Blood

Side Story 1, Part 2: Every Day in the Afterlife

"Do you... want to come back to our house after the open house? To formally meet our mother?"

And that's how he found himself sitting on the couch in their living room. The three had walked there, Kaveh and Tighnari's mother... it's been so long... her name was Faranak, correct?

Indeed.

Faranak was caught up with work, so she wasn't able to pick up Kaveh and Tighnari. Kaveh said it was better that way anyways. He didn't question why. But he understood when she came home.

The door to the front opened and Kaveh muttered, "Here we go," under his breath, standing behind Cyno's spot on the couch, blocking his body, "Hey Mom! How was work?"

Faranak's eyes focused in on her son and she glared, "What did you do?" Before Kaveh could respond, she took a big sniff in the air and then glared, "Who did you bring into my house without permission?"

Kaveh chuckled awkwardly, putting his hands up in defense, "Mom. Mama. Mommy. Dearest mother of mine. Please just relax first."

"Kaveh wh-"

"Yes mom?"

"Kaveh-"

"Mom?"

"No, Kaveh-"

"Yes, mother?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

Faranak groaned, rubbing her temples and muttering, "I can not deal with this today." She finally stepped around him, finally coming face to face with Cyno. She... sighed in relief? Sitting down at a separate chair, Faranak smiled sweetly, "Hello dear. It's been a while? How are your mothers?"

She was talking to him normally? How strange. Wasn't she the one adamant about leaving when Cyno found out about them? "Good. They're coming to pick me up tomorrow since I was supposed to stay the night at the school. But Tighnari and Kaveh invited me to come over so I thought I'd just go back later tonight. But I'm sorry to intrude."

"Oh dear, don't worry at all. You can even stay the night if you'd like," she chuckled, "I'm not upset at you at all, if that's what you're worried about. I'm completely and utterly pissed at my two sons for bringing home a human without my permission." There it was. Kaveh and Tighnari both cringed in unison. "Are you two crazy? At least it was this sweetheart. But still! A warning would've been nice. If you had asked to bring Cyno home, I would've said yes."

Cyno couldn't help but break the tension with slightly laughter. Utterly relieved laughter. The focus turned back on him. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh or make light of the situation. It just... feels really good to know that you're not mad at me. I felt so guilty after having been the reason you left Sumeru City. I was scared to meet you because of it. I'm truly sorry for having done that."

Faranak glared at Tighnari, "Really, Tighnari?" She huffed as she watched her fennec son shrug. Faranak reached over, taking Cyno's hands in, "Honey I knew you were different already. After all my years of living, it's easy to sense when there is something not so human about a person. I don't know if what's inside of you is good or evil, but I know it's there," she moved one hand to Cyno's forehead, muttering something. He felt... light. Clearheaded. What did she do? "When Tighnari came home that day and told me what happened, I wasn't surprised. I wanted to talk to you and make sure everything was alright. Demons can be nasty creatures. But my son was so upset and begged us to leave. And who was I to say no to him? I apologize, because I did come into your room one night, just to check up on you and see if you were physically okay. I spoke to him. He told me to wait. That everything would fall into place. Of course, I never trusted it. Demons hide in facades of kindness and wisdom. But who was I to accuse?" She pulled away, sitting back down. "He takes a toll on your body. Just communicating with him is hard, correct?"