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Cyno doesn’t usually ask Dehya for a friendly spar so it is quite a surprise for her when he approaches her next time, he visits the village to check on the new school and hospital build for the people of Aaru.
“Why me?”
“Candance is busy. Alhaitham is not here. I don’t wish to injure any of your comrades.”
Dehya snorts.
“But you’re okay with putting me in a cast?”
“That won’t happen. I have excellent control over my strength.”
Dehya doesn’t usually spar with Cyno.
She’s aware of their skill differences and the man has a divine power on his beck and call. Though he probably won’t ever use it in a friendly skirmish anyway, she’s still a bit apprehensive.
“Alright.” She agrees slowly. “No visions though?”
Cyno nods.
“As you wish.”
She takes him behind the village where there’s a wide clearing, shielded by rock formations on each side. The air is still with no wind which means they won’t get sand in their eyes but they’ll definitely sweat like pigs.
Dehya summons her claymore, Cyno summons his polearm and they begin.
Right from the start, from the moment their weapons clash for the first time she knows something is off with Cyno.
His movements are basically the same as usual when he’s sparring with someone. Dehya might now have many chances to do so but she is a keen observer of body language and memorized it all.
So, she definitely can recognize the pattern – block, block, parry, attack, block, block, withdraw, block, attack.
But the thing that is off, she muses are two things.
First, it’s the timing.
It’s off, not by much, but is noticeable to someone who has crossed weapons with the General before or who just likes to fight like Dehya.
So, there’s that. His step is misplaced and if she didn’t pay attention to it, she might have missed. That doesn’t really matter much because the second thing which is very much a dead giveaway that something is wrong is that Cyno fights on autopilot.
There’s no interest in his eyes whenever Dehya manages to catch a glimpse of them under his headdress.
They’re very much absent. Like he’s doing the motions but his mind is somewhere else.
And honestly, that kind of pisses Dehya off.
He is the one who asked her to spar and now he’s being all absent minded about it.
Her eremite pride kind of stings at this. She thought they were friends so this feels like a huge disrespect on his part.
Think you’re better than some eremite? Dehya lets a bit of her deeply buried resentment simmer to the surface and feels her whole-body flush in shame.
Damn it, now he made her feel stuff she didn’t really want to dwell on. Not Cyno’s fault his life is structured the way it is.
It is his fault though for not paying attention when Dehya uses his absentmindedness and pulls a quick move on him, knocks his polearm out of his hand and uses all of her strength to slam him into the sand.
Cyno is an experienced warrior and he’s probably stronger than her but he’s not in his best shape today not to mention that no visions and no spirits does put him at a disadvantage when he’s not paying attention.
Cyno goes down with a surprised grunt and Dehya would be laughing if she wasn’t panting hard and trembling all over. Even distracted a General Mahamatra is a General Mahamatra.
Dehya kneels over him in silence her claymore buried in the sand next to his head, just shy of his spread-out snowy hair. His headdress has rolled somewhere away.
“What’s up with you?” She manages finally after she has caught her breath.
The man looks at her, his big eyes wide in shock.
Now she does laugh.
“You were distracted. That’s not like you.”
Cyno schools his features into a mask of neutrality.
“I have stuff on my mind.”
Dehya stands up and pulls her sword out of the sand. She extends her hand and Cyno grabs her forearm to stand up.
He can easily do this himself but Dehya knows this is a symbolic way of him relying on others.
“Matra stuff?”
Cyno nods.
They walk back to the village in silence as Dehya dreams of a nice bath to wash away sweat and sand when Cyno suddenly speaks.
“Actually, I have a favor.”
“Yeah?” She wipes her brow and waits for the man to continue.
When moments pass and he does not elaborate Dehya raises an eyebrow.
“Well?”
Then Cyno does something Dheya has never seen.
He fidgets.
“Just say it!” She slaps him on the back and he almost stumbles.
“What was that?” She asks when he murmurs something under his breath. Man does the General act like a weirdo today.
“I asked, if you can teach me make up?”
Dehya blinks. Where did that come from?
“…what?”
Cyno does it again, the fidgeting thing and then he pulls his headdress lower over his eyes.
Is her embarrassed?
“I said can you teach me how to apply make up?” He repeats one more time but even quieter. Dehya can hear it all clearly now because she’s been listening of course but wow.
“What for? If I may ask.” She hopes her voice sounds neutral.
“Undercover.”
“Really. You’re going to cross-dress?!”
Cyno sends her a glare and now she sees it. The blush.
“Not the first time but this time I apparently need makeup.”
Dehya contemplates this and feels like there’s too much information in one sentence.
Cyno has dressed as a woman. Cyno has dressed as a woman multiple time. Cyno has apparently been convincing enough as a woman without any make up.
Oh, that just makes Dehya so mad for some reason.
“None of your female Matra coworkers know how to?”
Cyno shakes his head.
“Some do but it’s very…undercover. I don’t wish to involve them. The less they know they better for them and for the operation.”
Dehya snorts.
“But it’s okay to put me in danger?”
Cyno looks at her head on.
“You easily took down the General Mahamatra today. If this was a real fight, I’d be bloody.”
Dehya rolls her eyes.
“If this was a real fight wouldn’t be distracted.”
“Fair enough. So? Can I count on your help?”
Dehya sighs.
“Okay. Come here.” She pulls him into her little hut that she uses whenever she visits Aaru. She does have a room in Candance’s house but she doesn’t like when Dehya starts cleaning and maintaining her weapons there so she uses the hut for that.
House is for sleeping and eating. Weapons don’t belong in it.
The memory always makes Dehya roll her eyes.
Cyno closes the door and Dehya pulls up the blinds.
“Need some natural light in here if we’re going to do this.”
Cyno nods as if he understands what she’s talking about but she doesn’t feel like elaborating.
She grabs her cosmetics pouch she has stuffed behind some boxes just in case someone decided to come and snoop her treasures.
She spreads the bag on the floor and motions for Cyno to sit down.
“Can you name any of these things?” She asks. Cyno stares down on the pile of bottles, boxes and other such objects.
He choses a thing at random from the pile.
“You use this to paint over your eyelids?”
Dehya stares at him and at the little container of foundation and puts a hand over his, lowering it down.
“Ya know...I have a better idea.”
“Hm?”
She reaches out and takes his headdress off.
“I’ll just do your make up. An amateur won’t learn all the techniques in a few sessions. It’s a learned skill. “
“I see.”
Cyno contemplates this for a moment.
“Then. Can I count on you?”
“Yup!” Despite the strange request, or rather the person requesting it being…not someone who she thought would ever come to her for make up tips, she feels a little excited.
“Pull back your hair.”
Cyno complies and ties his tresses back with in a high ponytail. They move back, under the open window to use the natural light and Dehya gets to work.
It takes a while but not as much as she thought. Cyno’s skin is not as roughed and in need of a complex routine to prepare for the foundation which surprises Dehya quite a lot.
The actual time-consuming part is Dehya figuring a working color palette for him as well as style. He’s supposed to pass for a female but she doesn’t want to make him a caricature.
She softens his features just a bit, adds a bit of contour to his nose and cheeks. A bit of rouge but not too much. A natural blush.
Honestly, she has the most fun with the eyes. She forgoes eyelashes because she has never seen such pretty white ones so she just brushes them a bit to so they look even longer.
She goes for a daytime looking make up with a gentle touch of purple and a clear golden line under his eyes.
Then to top it off she uses fake gemstones un the corners.
She gets a bit too much into the process so when she tells him to flutter his eyes it takes her by surprise.
“Damn it.”
“What’s wrong.”
“You’re so freaking pretty it’s not fair.” Dehya blurts out and feels her own cheeks color.
“I am?” He asks innocently and she has to send him a dirty look. Surely, he does have a mirror in his house?
“Stop the fake modesty please it’s annoying.”
Cyno blinks his eyes a few more times and Dehya really fears for anyone who is to see him like this. They are not ready.
“I am not fake modest.”
She snorts and picks up a lipstick from the pile on the floor.
“You’re probably not.”
The color she chose is almost blending with Cyno’s natural lips, only slightly darker.
He keeps his mouth awkwardly open as she applies the lipstick.
“Smack your lips like this.”
He copies her motions and it’s a bit funny to see him like this.
“Good. Don’t eat it! Don’t lick your lips when it’s fresh. I know it’s smells good but you’re going to get sick.”
She adds a few final touches and sprays him with her favorite perfume just for good measure and laughs at his wrinkling nose.
“All done. Now you can go kiss whomever you want.”
“What?” Cyno sputters a bit, his cheeks coloring and oh, oh damn now he really does look like a blushing maiden.
“I was joking. Here.” She passes him the mirror.
“Cyno’s eyes go wide.”
“Oh, now that wide doe eye look just completes it. No one will suspect you of anything. Just keep looking bewildered all the time. “
Cyno puts the mirror down and sends her the flattest look she has ever seen.
It still works. Now he looks like a she has been dealing with a particularly bothersome suitor who cannot take no for an answer.
Dehya shakes her head.
She meant he and not she.
Cyno is still a man even though he is as pretty as a girl.
“Not funny.”
A wide and dangerous grin is his answer.
“I think it is.”
Cyno shrugs her off and goes back to contemplating his visage.
“Hm.”
“What?”
“The make-up is good but you obviously need a costume.”
“Not to worry, I have one already prepared.” He assures while he loosens his ponytail.
“Yeah, well whatever you picked won’t match the make up so I will pick it up for you.”
Cyno does a double take.
“What.”
“Yeah. You heard me.” She packs her cosmetics and hides them in the same spot as before, while retrieving her travel bag.
“Come on.” She ushers him.
“Where to?”
“Caravan ribat. I’ll show you how to shop.”
Cyno’s eyes go wide.
“Like this?”
“Yeah. Come on.” She pulls him to his feet and pauses.
“On second thought.” She grabs a travel robe from the hook and drapes it all over Cyno. It’s a little stuffy and tattered but manages to hide his body and identity. She pulls the hood over his hair and yeah now he does look like a mysterious beauty from the dunes.
Then again, maybe he always was one.
The travel doesn’t take them long, just a few hours and before they know it, they’re at the entrance to the bustling hub of trade.
“Okay so. Let’s look around and in the meantime.”
She grabs Cyno’s hand suddenly and pulls him into the maze of the stalls filled with fabrics, jewelry, spices and make up products before he has a chance to protest.
“Tell me about your cover. So, I can pick a suitable outfit for her.”
But Cyno just keeps staring at their joined hands.
“Cyno?”
He looks at her a little bewildered before he snaps back to reality.
“Right.” He clears his throat. “Let me think.”
Dehya grins.
“Okay. While you think let’s check out this stall over there.”
Cyno nods and let himself be pulled along.
“Lead the way.”
Omake
“So? How do you feel?”
Cyno looks at himself, turns around, lets the skirt twirly around him. He steps closer, examines every part of his face, nose, lips, eyes, forehead, chin.
The long earrings dangle at his ears, when he moves his head curiously.
Theres a sweet smell of incense and perfume.
“It never felt nice.”
“What did?”
“Dressing like this.”
He ruffles the skirt and then turns back to the mirror.
“It never felt powerful to look like this for me. Only uncomfortable.”
“Hey.”
Cyno looks up, not realizing he got lost in thoughts. Not completely bad thoughts but not completely good either.
“You, okay?”
He turns back to the mirror and angles his body to the left and then right again. He’s admiring himself; he realizes.
“Yes. I think. I will be.” He feels his eyes prickle.
“Don’t.” Dehya warns him, walking up and gripping his chin to turn his face towards her. She and swipes the tear away from under his eye.
“You’ll ruin my hard work.” Cyno nods and blinks his eyes. He’s never felt this strangely before. He doesn’t know why he’s so moved right now. It’s not this first time wearing a dress and pretending he’s someone he’s not.
He looks at the mirror again.
Dehya grabs his hand and pulls him outside of the tent.
“Come on.”
Cyno panics. He’s been safe inside the tent full of vibrant fabrics, incense and trinkets.
“I need to change wait.”
She shakes her head.
“No. you’re my date for today. We’re going to explore more.”
Cyno falters for a moment before he changes his mind.
“Okay.”
“Good.” Dehya grins.
“I do need to practice.”
She squeezes his hand.
“Okay. Sure.” She pulls him back between the busy stalls.
“Whatever you need.”