"I have already triple-checked."
"Can you do it one more time, then?" Cyno asked.
From where he sat at his desk, Tighnari looked up from his notes with a sigh and half-turned in his chair to give his friend one of his 'looks'. "General Mahamatra, the information you're looking for will not mystically manifest on my pages through the sheer stubbornness of the reader."
Cyno returned the answer with a sigh of his own, little more than a silent huff through the nose. As much as he didn't like what he heard, there was no point in further stressing a matter. When Tighnari dished out his sarcasm and called him by his honorary title, he knew that to be a sign that the answer was final.
"Like I said, I am at a loss about these samples. Nothing wrong with your sketching, I know you're meticulous with these things. They all possess the characteristics of what could believably grow in Sumeru, but ultimately look like nothing I've ever seen." Tighnari stood up and stretched. He picked up Cyno's notebook, still open on his desk, and gave its content one more look before turning to hand it over. "For the record, it bothers me as much as it bothers you. It's been a few years since something left me feeling stumped like this."
The General shook his head, rising one hand in surrender. "You can keep it. It'll be of better use to you... even if you've never seen anything like it before, there's always the possibility you will in the future."
"You think that person capable of growing these plants may do so around the forest as well?"
"I don't know, but it's been a while since the last report of any sightings." Cyno said as he moved away from where he was leaning against the wall. "The one thing I know is that she doesn't have the ability to disappear into thin air. This means she has to be somewhere."
"Doesn't really narrow down where to look, but I guess knowing such a person exists is a start." The Valuka Shuna tapped his chin, pondering. "I'll pass the information around to the other Watchers and let you know if there are any helpful reports on their patrols. The forest should represent a far better environment for someone with Dendro elemental powers. Assuming that's what you saw."
"I'm trying to figure that out myself." The desert-dweller nodded. "When the sun is up I'll head out to investigate any unfamiliar layline within the Forest."
"Then let me insist that you spend the night. It sounds like you have a long day ahead, and I'd like to make sure you get proper rest." Tighnari had a slightly sardonic smile on his face, both hands at his hips with the air of a teacher giving out instructions. "Besides, you owe me after taking a good part of my free time to look into all this. You can recompensate by offering yourself as a test subject for a new recipe I've been mulling over. Come help me gather the ingredients while you're waiting around."
