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General Gorou must be the cutest thing alive. Yes, he is, Tighnari has just decided it.
How could one's tail wag so much without even knowing it? Everytime the mighty general steps inside Tighnari's humble abode to deliver more plants, the moment their eyes lock, that tail is spinning like a top. There are times the puppy manages to keep a straight face on, but most other times he is grinning this most charming, boyish smile that makes Tighnari start to question himself.
"You can put those on the table," Tighnari says, pointing sideways. He's busy draining liquids from a zaytun peach to make a special medicinal drink, but the other's presence beside him is quickly proving to be too distracting. Still, Tighnari doesn't have the heart to shoo him away. Not when he can hear that adorable tail smacking against things in soft, dull thuds. Tighnari tries his best to resist the smile coming on, stops what he's doing, and raises himself to stand straight, meeting a very happy-looking Gorou in the eye for the first time in a while. "You can't be that happy to see me."
Gorou's grin falters slightly as if just now noticing he'd been smiling so much. "Wh-What do you mean?"
Now smiling himself, Tighnari reaches to stroke his new friend gently on the head, earning him a nice flush of color. Gorou blushes so easily, too. "You're always smiling bright like the sun. Hard to believe you're a hardened war veteran."
"H-Hey, I--I'm nice to everyone!" Gorou hesitates a moment to swat the hand away. It's embarrassing to be petted like that, even if it feels really good. "You're just imagining things..."
"Oh? Am I imagining that tail of yours smacking the books off my desk?"
With a gasp, Gorou reaches back to grab his tail and pull it up to his chest. Now his cheeks are really red, not too dissimilar to the zaytun peaches the ranger had been squeezing just now. Feeling indignant, Gorou puffs up a bit as he barks out, "Th--That's because of you, isn't it?!"
"Haha, oh, really?"
"Yes! H-How can I not react this way when your tail is s-swishing around like that every time?!"
"...What?"
Tighnari feels behind himself, shocked and humiliated to find his own tail has also been smacking stuff off his other shelf. But since when had that been going on?! How could he not notice?! Gods, he mumbles under his breath, bringing a hand to his face. Wordlessly, he resumes his work, trying his best to will the blush away while Gorou pretends to be fascinated by the things hanging up on his walls. They remain in this deafening silence a long time, till Collei comes home with a bundle of her own, and they can speak normally again and pretend this afternoon never happened.
