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Chapter Text

The desert of Sumeru is one of the most inhospitable places in all of Teyvat. The deadly heat of the sun, the corrosive sand reaching every nook and cranny, the numerous enemies: beasts, monsters and even human bandits and vagrants, all combine to make it a place where no one would want to live.

And yet on this intensely warm day, a group of six people and a sumpter beast trudge through the dunes towards the West, marking the sand with their trail of footsteps.

"Don't go running too far Diona!" shouts a hooded figure at the front of the strange caravan. This man is Mahamatra Cyno: he wears a dark hood with two protrusions mimicking the ears of a desert fox, and his whole body is covered by an ample cape to protect from the direct rays of the sun. Underneath he is wearing an outfit that reveals a lot of his dark skin and toned body, quite usual for denizens of the desert. His piercing eyes are frowning with worry at the little figure running in front of him.

"Yeah! Yeah, I gotcha! Wooooo!" The little frolicking girl in front of him is Diona, a katzlein from Mondstadt. She exhibits the two most obvious traits of her race: two cat ears and a tail, both with her three distinctive calico colors (white, black, orange), although her hair is a surprising bright pink. She usually wears a small hat, but she had been forced to wear a similar hood and cape as Cyno for the travel through the desert for her protection.

"Let her be, it's the first time I see an outlander enjoy running in the sand so much. It's quite endearing!" Next to Cyno, guiding the sumpter beast full of luggage, is Sethos. Another desert dweller with a similar outfit as Cyno, although he is wearing quite an elaborate haircut, full of colors and accessories. His smiling eyes follow with affection the antics of the little cat girl.

An exhausted voice starts complaining behind him. "Well I for one can't wait to get to the shade... Looking at her running around like that is going to make me overheat, I am certain." A tall, blue haired woman retorts. This is Eula, another visitor from Mondstadt, a beautiful athletic beauty with fair skin, wearing a skin tight outfit under her own cape. She scowls at the little figure running circles around them and sighs of disbelief.

"Oh! Here, have some water, Eula!" A young girl in her teens with short green hair hands over a weighty gourd to Eula, who takes several long sips, before sighing of relief. "Thank you Collei, you're a life saver." She hands over the water container back to her shorter friend. Collei, like Cyno and Sethos, is also from Sumeru, but she did not grow up in the desert. Due to horrible circumstances that she would rather leave behind her, she only recently came back to the rain forest where she is now learning to become a forest ranger.

"I'm just glad Master Tighnari did not come with us, he would have melted way before we arrived..." She ponders aloud, thinking fondly about the fox eared man that they left in Gandharva Ville, her home.

"Well, it's fine, I promised him that I would guide you and your friends safely across the desert." Cyno reassures her, and she smiles in return. Both Tighnari and Cyno had made her welcome when she first came back to Sumeru. She had just come back from Mondstadt with Cyno, emaciated and weak but for the first time of her life with the will to live again. They had taken care of her above and beyond as though she were one of their own, providing her with a new life, a new goal, a new home, a new family.

"That's right, thank you Dad! Oh, and thank you Uncle Sethos! I'm not sure we would've dared cross the desert like that without such a knowledgeable guide!"

The other desert dweller forces a smile. "Yeaaaah no problem, Collei." He laughs awkwardly. "Anyway!" he says, something obviously bothering him. He tries to find a new subject: "not a lot of people go through the desert to go to Natlan. Most people use a boat, now that the naval routes have been opened. What made you want to go that way?"

"Aha! A very good question!" An energetic voice comes from behind, followed by quick steps through the sand to get to his level, making sand fly everywhere. The last companion of this group, and not the least: Outrider Amber! Though in this case just Amber, as they are all taking a well deserved vacation.

The young woman with long, brown hair is wearing her signature red bow on top of her head in the form of two rabbit ears. Although she is wearing a cape like everyone else, she has taken off her hood, somehow not bothered by the heat, despite being from Mondstadt like two of her companions. Of course the long walk through the desert has already given her a nice tan and darkened her usually faint freckles, which sight Eula is secretly enjoying. She explains excitedly with a large smile: "Well, Uncle Sethos..." she sees him twitch at her words and winks at him, "We are here on an adventure, of course! We set off from Mondstadt with my wife..."

"Cough..."

"...with my soon-to-be-wife Eula", the blue haired woman rolls her eyes but stays mute,"and our little friend Diona, who had never traveled beyond Mondstadt until now! Of course she got her parents permissions, so we are currently her guardians! We all wanted to travel far away from Montstadt during the cold season, and now that Natlan has become more accessible, we decided to come enjoy the warmer climate over there! And so we traveled through storms and rains all the way from Mondstadt and Liyue until we reached Sumeru's forest..."

"But it was sunny the whole way?" interjects Diona, now back in the group, suddenly interested by the conversation.

"Hey, let me embellish the story a little bit! Anyway, we kidnapped Collei while we passed through Gandharva Ville."

"Right, you stole our little fox." His face remained deadpan, but Cyno's eyes are glinting and everyone braces for his next sentence...

"So it was more of a kit napping really."

Silence.

"Hmmm... I'd give it 7 out of 10 this time." Sethos replies without missing a beat.

"Ugh." Eula sighs again and takes a sip of water instead. She scowls at Amber who is laughing at the joke, as usual. She turns to Collei, who has a thousand miles stare... The green girl obviously is used to the dad jokes by now, and Eula secretly pities her.

"I don't get it..." says Diona, puzzled, raising her finger to her chin quizzically.

"Allow me to explain!" Cyno enthusiastically offers, happy to have a receptive audience for once. "See, a young fox is called a kit, right? And me and Tighnari are both foxes. Well, he is a real tighnarian, I am mostly using their image with my traditional outfit. But anyway, Collei is our daughter now, and since we're both foxes, then she is our kit. Then replace kid with kit in kidnapping, and you get: Collei got kit napped! Get it?"

"Oooh! Hm... Good one, I guess?" Diona isn't sure if she has followed the whole thing, but she doesn't want to hurt Cyno's feelings and his genuine look.

"Anyway, Amber, we both gave our permission for Collei's vacation, so it can hardly be called a kitnapping." Cyno turns his head back to Amber, not letting go of his pun. Sounds like he is very proud of that one...

"OK, OK. So in summary we are coming from Mondstadt, we picked up Collei on the way, and we are on way to our adventure in Natlan! And to really answer your question, Uncle Sethos: we thought that going by boat didn't really counts as going on an adventure. Right?"

"I would not have minded..." Eula whispers with a dry mouth.

"You'll be fine soon, Eula chérie." Amber winks at her.

"Don't call me that in public, Amber dear. I'm still not sure how you learned that Fontaine word, but maybe I should have a word with Lisa when we come back, just to check what kind of books she..."

"Oh, should I call you babe, then?"

Eula purses her lips. ".... chérie is fine."

"Thanks!" Amber laughs and kisses Eula on the cheek, her face flushing immediately. Before anyone makes a remark about her red face, she says "Ooh, it must be the heat of the sun, I'd better find some shade." She walks a bit faster, looks back at Amber discreetly, and her sun smiles back.

Finally the little group arrives at their destination: the Gate to Natlan. A naturally formed hole through one of the rock walls of the Hadramaveth Desert, decorated with crimson flags and flying clothes to signify that this is indeed the right way, and a place where weary travelers can stop and take a break from the never ending sandstorm. They take one last look at the impressive tornado raging on top of the mountain to the East before walking through the tunnel. The passage is short and they finally arrive in front of a huge emerald sea. Beyond the sea huge orange colored plateaus rise high above the fog. Their first glimpse of Natlan.

"We can have one last meal before the tide comes down enough for you to traverse," Sethos says as he starts taking the bags off the docile sumpter beast. He scratches its ears and gives it a few carrots as snacks, earning a content growl. The group quickly distributes the luggage to each one and they all check their contents, before gathering around for a goodbye meal.

Time passes quickly in good company, and so the sea water comes down, following the attraction of the Moon, or so Cyno explains.

"Well then," says Eula, now the de facto leader of the tourist group, "thank you very much for your expertise, Sethos, Cyno. If you come to Mondstadt one day, know that you will be welcomed with open arms."

"That's right! Remember to bring Tighnari too! And those other eremite friends you mentioned, the more the merrier!" Amber waves at the two Sumeru natives who are starting to pack for their trip back through the desert.

"... I'll miss you," Diona says curtly as she headbutts and hugs both men, squeezing as hard as her little arms can. They both hug her back fondly, they had come to care for the little girl like a little sister on the short trip they have made with her.

"I'm glad you both came with us." Collei tells them shyly, before locking eyes with Cyno's. She sees a glints in his eyes and gasps.

"Hi, Gladyoubothcamewithus! I'm Mahamatra Cyno!" The general has already let out his ultimate dad joke and he stands proudly with his fists on his hips.

"Nooooo!" Collei runs away covering her ears, red faced. Her other companions run after her towards the strait, laughing and waving back.

"You really had to do this now of all times, eh."

"What can I say? It's a family tradition."

The two friends chuckle, leading their sumpter beast back to their home beyond the desert. Cyno turns one last time to see the four figures disappear beyond the strait. He knows that Collei is in good hands and is incredibly happy that she finally could be convinced to take a real vacation with true friends.

Finally, Eula, Amber, Collei and Diona are on their way to Natlan, ready for their new adventure!

Chapter Text

Splish, splosh, the feet of the four companions make splashing noises as they progress towards the other shore. The low tide makes it possible to traverse on foot, but they know they should not take too long before the water rises again.

Though to be precise, only three people are walking through the salty seawater since Eula is carrying Diona on her shoulders.

"You sure it's OK to carry me? I could walk..." she asks with her hands on the tall woman's head.

"Denied. You are still too small and you would be waist deep in those waters. Also, the sand is slippery and we wouldn't want you to get stuck in quicksand, now would we?"

"What?! Quicksand?! Then... then... We need to hurry!" Diona starts to panic and wriggle her legs, but thankfully Eula holds her securely. "Amber, Collei, quick! I don't want to see you sink!"

"Aaaah, I am stuck! Go! Go without me..." Amber dramatically calls out with a weak voice while slowing down. "Diona, tell Eula I loved her!" She rises her arm to hide her eyes theatrically.

"Amber, nooooo!" Diona starts to scream in panic.

"That's enough Amber..." Eula gets back on her steps and coldly makes Amber stand back up.

"Amber! Are you OK??" Diona cries out right near Eula's ear. Ouch...

"Oh, my love you saved my life!" Amber throws herself in her girlfriend's arms while laughing.

"Really Amber?" Just behind them, Collei looks at the scene incredulously. "These are no quicksand. It's just regular tide sand."

"What? Eula, how dare you trick me! I will have vengeance!" Diona nibbles harmlessly at Eula's ears, which makes the woman chuckle. She secretly enjoys that the little cat girl on her back has started to mimic her catch phrase, although she's not sure her parents would appreciate it. But Diona was always prickly anyway...

"Actually," Collei continues her lesson while raising her finger, "if these were quicksand we wouldn't really be in danger either, quicksand sinking is really just a myth. But if we were to get stuck even knee-high and the tide was coming back quickly, we would drown in minutes!" She explains with a big smile, happy to be able to impart a bit of the knowledge that she has been learning back home.

The other three freeze.

"That's good to know..." Amber says tentatively, a bead of sweat trickling on her cheek. "OK then we don't want to take any risks! Let's go, ha ha ha!" The bunny girl moves ahead and starts running, or rather trudging as fast as the knee-deep water allows her to go. "The last one on the other side makes diner tonight!"

"Eula! Run! We can't let her win!" Diona suddenly takes hold of Eula's hair as though they were reins, and Eula obliges, amused by the competitiveness of her small passenger. It looks like some traits of Amber are also rubbing on her.

"Wh... What? Oh no, it's going to be me this time I know it!" Collei's face becomes pale, she knows she's never going to win a race against those two. But soon enough she starts wading through the water, determined not to go down without a fight.

"Are you OK Collei? You look completely out of breath there..." Amber pats the green haired girl on the back while she pants heavily, trying to get back her breathing before replying.

"Yeah! I... huff... I'm fine... Few..."

"I'm surprised you managed to get here first actually! That was a very nice run, especially at the end!" Amber smiles, proud of her little protégée's efforts. Not too long ago, Collei would never have been able to exert herself as much, and she is incredibly happy to see her getting her health back. "Guess I lost this time, ha ha!"

"Not that this is a surprise, really." Eula adds with a scowl. "Who was the one who insisted on carrying both my and Diona's bags? I know you like to challenge yourself, Amber, but you need to stop biting more than you can chew."

"Ha ha ha! I don't mind! Also, don't blame me for losing when you taste my cooking tonight!"

Diona, back on the ground, stares at Amber with a frown. "...I'll help you Amber," she finally says, "I don't know how you end up always failing the most basic of dishes, jeez."

"Hey, I'm not blessed with the power of a fairy to make delicious meals every time!"

"Fairies..." Collei's eyes twinkle, she has gotten her breath back and is listening to the conversation intently.

"Alright ladies," Eula claps her hands, "before the sun starts setting, we need to move inland to find shelter, or at least find a good place to set up camp." As Captain of the Reconnaissance Company, she is used to lead people in unknown territories, and so her leading the group had been implicitly agreed by everyone. They may be on vacation, but they first need to reach a town or meet other native people to get the lay of the land before planning for their exploration of Natlan. Eula looks at a crude map of the region that they bought from a dubious merchant in Sumeru named Dori (though Collei vouched for her), and her aim is to reach the Children of Echoes today.

After drying up their feet and putting back their boots, Eula takes the lead and sets a good pace, checking once in a while to make sure all the members of the group can keep up without exerting themselves. This is not a mission, after all! The group starts walking through a valley carved in between two immense sand-colored plateaus. The sandy beach transforms into a lush grassy plain with meandering hills, peppered with blue flowers and brush-like bushes. Soon they find what looks like a dirt path, and they naturally follow it. Sure enough, the trail has a few red and blue flags and fences along it, meaning that they are likely going in the right direction.

"I wonder what was up with Uncle Sethos..." Collei muses on the way. "Did I say something bad? Every time I talked to him he averted his eyes as though I said something cringy or something."

"I think you're looking too far into it, it's actually pretty simple if you ask me." Amber replies, taking Collei's arm in her own as they continue walking. "I think... that he doesn't like that you call him Uncle!"

"B... But he's like a brother to D... to Cyno. I know that you don't need to share blood to be family, right?" The teenager looks at Amber with sparkles in her eyes. Long after her birth parents had abandoned her to the Fatui and disappeared, she had found herself a new family in Mondstadt, a big sister that saved her and brought her back from the depths of despair. Since then she had gained new parents in Sumeru, even a Grandma, and she had gradually expanded what she considered her family. The recent arrival of Sethos from the Temple of Silence had expanded her circle even more, to the delight of the green haired girl. She looked somewhat dejected when she heard Amber's reasoning. "I thought he'd like it if I called him like that..."

"He will be fine, Collei." Eula looked up from her map after overhearing their conversation. "The term 'Uncle' can carry a connotation of older adult in some cultures, and it is very likely that Sethos doesn't want to feel old... yet. But I'm sure he will appreciate you calling him Uncle. After all, who wouldn't want such an adorable niece?"

"You think so?" Collei replied, hopeful. She relaxed, comforted by Eula's explanation. She thinks she is incredibly lucky to have found another big sister who can alleviate her heart's troubles.

Suddenly Diona crouches near the high grass on the side of the path. She stops moving, her dilated eyes fixated on a strange creature not too far away. The other members also crouch down in unison, readying their weapons just in case. The katzlein blood in Diona's veins makes her a natural hunter, and her friends have quickly learned to heed her instinctual warnings. Bow on one hand, Amber shields her eyes from the sun with the other to try and see what Diona has found.

Her piercing eyes soon lands on a pair of majestic deer facing each other, both crowned with impressive sets of antlers. They do not look like they are aware of the travelers yet.

Collei discreetly rummages through her backpack and takes out a small book full of bookmarks and handwritten annotations. She whispers "These are... brown deer. They are herbivores and should not be dangerous if we don't get too close."

Eula relaxes and pats Diona's back to ask her to calm down.

The little cat girl looks disappointed. "Can't we hunt them?"

"We shouldn't try to hunt for now. We still need to check with the locals if we are allowed to do so." Eula explains, petting the little girl's head. "Who knows, maybe those are sacred beasts, we wouldn't want to anger the locals on our first day here, right?"

"Also! We shouldn't hunt animals that might be endangered. Unless it's an emergency, of course." Collei adds with a natural tone, obviously reciting one of her forest ranger principles.

"I promise to go hunting with you once we get permission, Diona!" Amber is also looking forward to competing and see who can hunt the best game, but she knows she has to set a good example for their youngest companion.

They observe the exotic creatures from afar, trying not to disturb them. The two males are in the middle of a duel, they headbutt each other and interlock their antlers, every hit echoing through the valley like two wooden swords clashing. Collei explains that they are either deciding would would be the leader of their herd, or who gets to mate with the females of the group. Soon enough the bigger of the two, with its fur full of past scars, emerges victorious. It gets back proudly to his herd that was watching from afar, while the defeated younger one flees, its head low.

The little group continues its journey on the little path, excitedly chatting about what they just saw, and stopping every now and then to spy on other new creatures: a toucan-like bird here, a strange burrowing bird over there... After an hour the dirt path starts to dip down a slope, leading further towards what seems at first glance like a dead end at the bottom of the valley. Eula checks her map, but all of a sudden Diona stops again. The whole group looks in the same direction and finds what looks like a person coming towards them at a ludicrous speed. They quickly adopt a defensive position: Eula in front, her big sword drawn ostensibly and menacingly, Amber on her side with her bow, checking the sides for potential ambushing enemies, Collei just behind them to check the rear and protect Diona. The figure seems to be gliding on the ground as it moves quickly towards them. It's actually a woman who is not running... but sliding?

Eula is surprised to see someone skating on grass as if they were skating on ice! Could that woman be a vision holder as well, or could she be using some kind of strange technology? She holds her thoughts as the new lady suddenly slows down and starts walking normally. The strange yellowish glow that her body seemed to exude has also suddenly dissipated, and she seems to try and appear less threatening. She actually raises her arms high in the air, open palms facing the defensive group, a universal gesture that means: "I mean you no harm."

The leader of the group sees the woman stepping towards them with a relaxed expression. She glances at Amber, who nods, and she lets everyone in the group know that they can relax their stance, for now.

The group takes a moment to observe the first native lady they met walking to welcome them. A tall beauty with a generous, shapely figure whose tanned skin is hardly hidden by her quite skimpy outfit. Her long blond hair flowing behind her like a light flame, with a tastefully colored braid. She wears impressive make up with what looks like glistening freckles on her skin. But the observer's eyes are drawn to her obvious feline features: perky cat ears on her head, and a long fluffy tail waving behind her with each of her step.

Eula lowers her head towards Amber with a serious look in her eyes to whisper in her ear:

"Would?"

Without missing a beat, her girlfriend answers with a deadpan expression: "Would. Definitely."

Eula smirks, "Why am not surprised?"

Behind they can almost hear Collei rolling her eyes at their usual banter. At least it means that the situation was relaxed enough for them to tease each other.

"Hm... Hello strangers. Uh... I'm sorry if I scared you just now. I was in the middle of hunting and... Uh... I didn't think anyone would take that path anymore. You must be coming from Sumeru... Yes?" The feline lady is talking with a surprisingly laid back tone, which makes the group finally relax completely. Or almost all of them.

"Hissss!"

Diona, still hiding behind Collei, frowns and hisses at the new arrival. Collei turns around to talk to her, making sure that she keeps shielding the little scared girl with her body. "What's wrong Diona? I think she is friendly, don't you think?" The whole group tenses up again.

"Oh... Oh my..." says the cat-like lady. "I didn't expect to see another pantherfolk today..." She brings her hand to a pocket and fishes out a little item that she throws towards the scaredy Diona, still on the defensive, who catches it by instinct. "Here, what about a milk candy?"

"Wha... Do you really think you can bribe me like that? I'm not like like those drunk treasure hoarders who betray their friends with a cheap wine bottle!" Contrary to what she says, however, she has her eyes fixed on the little wrapper in her paw. She opens it, sniffs it, before gobbling it. "Munch, munch..." The group looks at her visibly relax and enjoy the treat.

"Hem... I am sorry about that, let me introduce myself. I am Xilonen, smith and engraver of the Children of Echoes. Travelers under the protection of the Pyro Archon, welcome to Natlan."

Eula steps up first. Time for a formal greeting. "Thank you, Miss Xilonen. My name is Eula Lawrence, Reconnaissance Captain of the Knights of Favonius, from Mondstadt."

A glance of recognition passes between the tall ladies.

"I am Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius! Her colleague and girlfriend! Nice to meet you Miss!"

"H... Hello! Trainee Forest Ranger Collei, reporting for duty! Hum... I mean I... I'm from Sumeru, nice to meet you too!"

"...Diona. Bartender at the cat's tail. Mondstadt."

After the short customary greetings, Eula continues. "We are actually all here on vacation and we are hoping to spend our time exploring Natlan. We've come from Sumeru with the help of some friends familiar with the desert, and we thought it would be more adventurous to take this older path to reach Natlan..."

"Ah! I see..." Xilonen replies, pensive. She looks undisturbed, but her tail wiggles behind her, a sure sign of curiosity, and a behavior very similar to Diona's. "Well then... what would you say I guide you to... uh, my tribe's settlement? The Children of Echoes should give you all a... warm welcome, since you're coming from so far away and we are the first ones to welcome you, for once."

Eula looks at her companions and they all nod, even Diona, still munching her sweet.

"Thank you, we will take you up on your offer, Miss Xilonen."

"No problem... Oh, and you can just call me Xilonen."

"Eula is fine as well."

The tall blue haired woman feels an arm reach around her waist. "Be careful, chérie, I have my eyes on you!" Amber says with her tongue out and a smile.

"Oh my, what ever do you mean, my dear little bunny?" Eula wraps her own arm around Amber's waist and gives her a light squeeze, earning herself a cute giggle.

"Please lead the way Miss Xilonen!" Collei blurts out suddenly, eager to move away from the obnoxiously flirting couple. She walks quickly behind Xilonen while holding Diona's hand. The little katzlein girl hops along, eyes glaring at the older cat lady with curiosity.

Finally on the right track and with a reliable guide, the group finally makes its way to meet their first tribe: the Children of Echoes!

Chapter Text

As the small group makes it way through a corridor dug through the rock, they cross path with a few running children who stare at them with curiosity. Collei looks with interest at their outfits that are displaying intricate zigzagging and triangular patterns with combinations of brown, orange, black and white. The adults that accompany them have similarly colored clothes but theirs are more complex and varied: some more revealing, some on the contrary fully covering, with boots, thick gloves, or even hard hats. On closer inspection, they wear a multitude of accessories decorated with glinting gems of all colors. Collei cannot help but be vaguely reminded of the dwellers of the desert like Cyno who have similarly brown or dark skin, but their clothing styles and demeanor are quite different.

For one the people here seem more relaxed and welcoming, waving and greeting the newcomers and their guide as they pass by. Collei looks down at Diona who is still holding her hand tightly, and she can see her little eyes zooming about everywhere with intense curiosity. What seems to attract her attention are the immense murals on all the red walls. They pass a few people who are actually drawing on them, using weird bottles to paint and create abstract geometric shapes and daring colors.

However as they make their way following their native guide, Xilonen, they start to hear echoes of rock and metal clashes reverberating through the passage. The rhythmic sound becomes more intense, until they finally arrive at a gigantic open space that looks as though a giant has spread a whole mountain in two. They stare awestruck at a whole city emerges straight into the cliffs of a chasm, with numerous suspended bridges linking both sides and to different levels. The buildings seem to have been cut directly from the rock, and they are decorated with the same geometric patterns and colors as the clothes of their inhabitants.

Eula gasps as she looks up at a giant rotating drill hanging over the whole city. Just above it she can see the sky through what looks like a tear in the rock, with a couple trees peeking from above. She then looks down, all the way to the bottom of the cliff they are standing on, and she can see a large group of people hitting rocks with pickaxes in rhythm.

"Oh, so that's where the sounds come from!" Amber exclaims excitedly.

"That's right. Us Children of Echoes are a proud mining tribe, and hmm... we are especially renowned for our ores, gems and crystals. As you can guess, we have quite a few jewelers and blacksmiths, me included." Xilonen turns around and describes her tribe's pride with a matter-of-fact voice.

"Diona? Are you okay?" Collei inquires worryingly as she can feel the little hand of the little girl tremble in her own. She crouches down at her level and immediately understands the problem. She raises her hands and covers the shivering ears of the little katzlein girl. She quickly explains to the group with a serious look: "I think this is too much noise for Diona, her hearing is much more sensitive that us after all. Master Tighnari has the same issues and that's why he usually stays away from the rumble of the cities..."

"Ah!" their guide gasps, and they all look at her in surprise for this sudden departure from her usual deadpan attitude. They stare at the panther-looking woman who soon crouches in front of Diona to give her two small blueish objects. Diona takes them, but looks back quizzically. The woman reaches out to her own ears and takes out what they soon realize are ear plugs. But Diona is still too distressed to understand what she means, so Collei decides to help her out and gently put the plugs in Diona's quivering ears.

The little cat girl opens her eyes wide and finally calms down. She hides back behind Collei, tightly gripping her skirt.

"Thank you..." She says to Xilonen with a small voice. The big cat woman reaches out and gives her a gentle pat on the head. She then gets up to look at Eula, but addresses the whole group. "I am sorry, I should have known she would be uh... as sensitive as me. I wear these so much in here that I tend to... forget I have them on."

"Thank you Xilonen!" Amber answers with a big smile. "I'm glad you could solve the problem immediately, otherwise we would have had to move on without visiting the place!"

"No problem. And, hem, I am not much of a guide really, so please follow me to Chief Pacal, he'll be able to show you where to lodge and stuff."

They make their way to a dwelling higher and bigger than the others roughly at the center of the city. There stands an impressive man with dark skin decorated with huge tattoos over his body. His face has a neatly cut beard and his hair is an impressive giant puff with multicolored accessories sticking out, kind of like horns. He stands proudly with sunglasses on his face and a huge hammer attached to his back, and Eula wonders if even she could wield such a weapon with ease. In any case, this seems to be a clear sign that he is not the leader of the tribe by mistake.

"Chief Pacal, I bring some uh... unusual guests."

"Ah, Xilonen! I was wondering why all the folks were crowding around the East entrance. Did you all come from the Desert route? Last time someone came from there must have been the Traveler before the last war, so quite a while back."

"You know the traveler??" Amber gasps, they are all surprised to hear their friend's name so far from Mondstadt, though Collei is less so.

"Of course! They have helped Natlan tremendously, and we consider them one our most legendary heroes!"

"That does make sense." Eula nods. After all she had recognized early that The Honorary knight of Mondstadt had this indescribable aura that only a few legends possess, like the arch mage Alice. For them to know one of the closest friends of the Pyro Archon makes sense.

"Uh, it's a small world." Xilonen yawns, "Anyway, if you need me I'll be in my workshop, I've got hmm... work to do. See you everyone." She waves lazily and walks away, not waiting for the others to answer.

Pacal resumes their talk: "... Anyway, since you haven't followed the usual touristic trails, it seems like you don't mind a bit of adventuring, that's good! I'll still need to make sure we register you properly, just in case."

"... Just in case?" Eula inquires.

"Well we might have pushed back the Abyss decisively during the war, but even then Natlan can still be quite dangerous for tourists, and that's especially the case for you if you tend to not follow the well traveled roads. So, we ask all non-natives to register at each tribe they pass, and we regularly send messengers to check that they all they have arrived at their destinations. It's a new system, so please excuse us if we're still not completely operational. It's not mandatory, but I highly recommend you follow those rules."

"I see, that's actually quite reassuring. We are traveling with two children, so knowing that you have such a protection is quite a relief."

"... Hey, don't count me as a kid!" Collei complains, puffing her cheeks.

"You are not yet an adult either Collei. Don't worry, I know you will grow up to become a fine lady very soon." Eula responds, unbothered by the outburst.

"That's right! You've become so much more healthy and so full of confidence recently!" Amber gives Collei a quick hug. "You don't need to rush!"

"Very well then: one child, one teenager, and two adults, right?" Pacal notes on a piece of cloth he just took out from his side pocket.

"Indeed. Both Amber and I are their official guardians for this trip."

"Good, I'll just ask you for your full names and next destination before you depart. Again, it is not mandatory, but we want to make Natlan feel secure for our visitors."

"That is agreeable. I also have some questions about Natlan's tribes locations, I think we need an updated guide to plan our next destination."

Eula starts exchanging seriously with the tribe's chief while the other three tune off and walk around not too far while they wait for her. Their eyes are drawn to what appears to be a kind of barn area with straw on the ground for some kind of animals with a few children around it. They get closer...

Suddenly a trail of red crystals appears on the ground and quickly moves towards the three. Amber and Collei immediately shield Diona, all of them on the defensive. What is this??

The trail stops in what looks like a puddle of molten rock before a brown scaly creature no bigger than a child emerges from the earth.

"Roo?" It roars softly with its head tilted, which results in its whole little body losing its balance momentarily on its two legs. Despite their tension, the three girls can't help but find the gesture adorable. The little saurian in front of them has a brown, scaly body and a round, yellow tummy. Behind they can see its short tail wagging on the floor, and it looks at them with big orange eyes, full of curiosity.

"Ayo! Stop right there!" A high pitched voice suddenly screams out.

A small girl quickly sprints over and grabs the little saurian, locking it in place despite being roughly the same size as her. She continues to talk, oblivious to the three alert tourists in front of her. "Running away will not change the fact that you need to take your medicine! Be a good saurian and I will give you crackers later!"

The girl is more concerned than angry, and soon enough the tepetlisaur drops its little head in defeat.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Both Collei and Amber squeal, completely forgetting what they thought was a dangerous situation. "Can we pet it??"

"Uh?" The little Natlanese girl suddenly jumps when she realizes that there are people in front on her. Her face turns white and she quickly apologizes. "Oh I am so sorry! I didn't see you! Did Ayo scare you?" She sees the two excited bigger girls, but also the little cat girl behind them.

"Oh, we were just surprised! Right Diona?" Collei looks behind her to make sure her protegee is OK, but instead she is glaring at the creature.

"What is THAT?" She points at the saurian.

"Oh, let me introduce ourselves! This is Ayo, my Tepetlisaur partner! And I am Kachina, a member of the Children of Echoes! Nice to meet you, uh... outlanders?"

"I am Amber! This is Collei, and..."

"Diona. Hi." She waves at Kachina, but keeps her eyes on Ayo.

"We are visitors from Mondstadt, and Sumeru in Collei's case. Nice to meet you both!"

Kachina relaxes. Now that the incident is resolved, the Mondstadters can take a good look at their new acquaintance. She is wearing a similar outfit and colors at the other members of her tribe, although with a large shirt tied around her waist. She also wears large mittens and an interesting cap on her head. But as with Xilonen, her animal characteristics are what jumps to their attention: she has big, wide and straight ears on top of her head, in the same ashen color of her long hair that weaves behind her as she tilts her head. On both sides of her face she has two peculiar short braids that frame her face nicely. Like a lot of other Children of Echoes, she wears many glistening accessories, including a pretty triangular golden pendant on her forehead.

She pets her saurian friend, and adds some explanation. "As I said already, Ayo is my saurian friend! A lot of people in Natlan have a saurian companion from a young age, sometimes for all their lives! Me and Ayo here have each other's back in all circumstances!" She giggles when her partner tickles her hand with its raspy tongue.

"OK so that's a 'saurian'. But what are YOU? You're not a pantherfolk like the other big woman." Diona asks curtly without filter.

"Oh!" Kachina grabs her ears. "I am a pikafolk!" she says with a proud smile.

"Whazzat?"

"Erm... Pikas are legendary animals from Natlan! I've never actually seen them in the wild, but I they are like small rabbits with shorter ears?"

On Amber's head, her rabbit shaped bow seem to straighten up. "Did I hear you say 'bunny'? That's my favorite animal! See my bow?" She points above her head excitedly., before abruptly taking the little girl into a bear hug.

"Uh? Uh?!" Kachina is so surprised that her eyes seem to transform into spirals.

"She said 'rabbit' Amber, not 'bunny'." Collei facepalms. "Also, you're scaring her."

"Oh?" The bunny woman stops and looks at the poor little girl in her arms. She quickly let go. "I am so sorry! I just got so excited to see someone who looks so... bunny-like!"

"It's... it's fine, it's not the first time it happened. Mualani and a bunch of other people likes to do the same..." She replies with an awkward smile.

"Amber, you need to stop doing that especially to people you don't know!" Collei scolds her friend.

"Sorry, sorry, habits die hard... I... how can I apologize properly... Oh I know! I can make you a gift! Let's see a... Baron Pika? Sounds pretty good."

"It's fine, it's fine I said..." The pika girl replies weakly.

"Kachina, you need to learn to stand up for yourself properly. You are a warrior and a winner of the Pilgrimage of the Sacred Flame after all." Pacal approaches the group, Eula right behind him. It looks like they have finished their more serious conversation.

"A warrior? You mean... You fought in the Abyss war??" This time it's Diona who raises her voice, and without any more inhibition she goes to take Kachina's hands, or rather gloves, in her hands. "I'm so impressed! Can you... tell me me how it went?"

Kachina can't resist the cat girl's pleading eyes, and to be honest she is glad to find someone interested in her as a warrior for a change. Maybe a new friend, she hopes? "Oh sure! How about... I invite you for dinner! I'll just need to check with my parents."

Diona turns her pleading eyes towards Eula. The guardian chuckles.

"I think it's a good idea, what say you, Mister Pacal?"

"Kachina's parents are respected members of our community and very welcoming, you can leave your child in their care without problems, as long as they agree." The chief confirms.

"Very well then. We will bring Diona to you once we have put down our luggage in the refuge. Amber, Collei? Let's go there now, and then we should have some time to visit before nighttime."

On this note the four tourists say good bye to Pacal and Kachina and move to a building on the Southern side of the city that serves as lodging for guests and visitors. Time to finally settle down after the long journey.

Chapter Text

The group put down their bags in a little room in the shared lodging. They can see that other guests have already settled their own luggage on other beds, but there is plenty of space for everyone. They throw a quick glance at the various style of bags and clothes the other tourists have left on their bed, trying to guess where they are from. Most of them seem to come either from the closest nations of Sumeru and Fontaine. One of them they can't quite guess however, the person in question has a weird mix of Liyue embroidery, Inazuma style clothes and weird accessories spread out on their bed.

They don't want to pry too much though, so they leave most of their stuff on the four close beds they have claimed for themselves and they get out.

"OK everyone," Eula claps her hands to get the others attention,"we're pretty much free for tonight. Diona, remind me to bring you to Kachina's when the time is right. Pacal told me where they live, so we just need to wait for the end of the work day, when the miners end their shift. He told me it should be pretty obvious."

"Oki doki!"

"Amber, Collei, how about we start going to that gemporium we saw when we arrived?"

"Yeah, they had some very cute accessories! I need to start thinking about bringing souvenirs to the other knights!"

"Sure I will come along. I'm sure gran... Madam Faruzan would love some of those gems."

"Good! And Diona, stay close! I know you don't really care about heights but I don't want to have to bring you back from the bottom of the mine pit. The clanking noise of the miners would also surely be inconvenient for you up close."

"Yeah, yeah! Let's go, let's go!"

After agreeing on their immediate goal, the group starts walking around the city in the cliff, chatting freely and looking around with eager eyes.

After a while, the sunlight from above changes into a gorgeous orange, illuminating the whole place with the awe inspiring color of fire. At the same time a bell rings and the sounds of the miners stops: their duty is over for the day and they start coming back home to wash up, eat and rest.

Eula has just bought a nice bracelet with blue and purple gems that she thinks would suit Lisa, the librarian of the knights, when Diona excitedly pulls at her sleeve. It is time, so she takes the cat girl's hand and lead her over to Kachina's home. The pika girl is already restlessly waiting for her new friend, and both children happily go play together as Eula talks to Kachina's parents for a bit.

After a while, a new sound echoes from the middle of the cave. Not the sound of pickaxes and rocks, but the sound of music!

Amber and Collei have been looking around a clothing store, but their attention is quickly drawn to the music and the crowd of people congregating on what looks like a platform on the opposite side of the cliff. Curious, they approach arm in arm through the excited men, women and children rushing past them.

They soon arrive at what appears to be a huge stage where performers are taking turn dancing in weird ways. On the side, one person is expertly manipulating what looks like rotating discs, which seem to be the origin of the music they are hearing. Just behind him someone is playing a complicated rhythm with a strange square guitar, but the melody is incredibly appealing.
On the left part of the stage, out of the spot light, a man wearing a flashy yellow and gold outfit suddenly jumps out to the center.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 53rd dance battle of the season! We have a few outlander guests tonight, so let's do a quick tour of the event: simply put, anyone can come up on stage and show off their dance moves to the music! Doesn't matter if you are an elder veteran of an ambitious rookie, what counts is the fire in your souls! Whoever gets the biggest audience cheers will be the winner of today's event!"

The packed crowd cheers and heckles at the organizer, with some "Let's gooo!" or "Be kind to the newcomers!" here and there. Amber and Collei are getting excited by the sudden event, and the rabbit themed woman can't help but start jumping up and down at the heavy music. "Oh maybe I should go? I don't dance as well as Eula, but if it's about fire and energy I won't lose to anyone!" She is suddenly startled by a strong hand grabbing her shoulder. It's Eula!

"Did I hear something about dancing?" She winks at both her friends, they all know that the blue haired woman would never let such an opportunity pass.

"Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, before we begin, allow me to present our guest musician tonight! Coming straight from the nation of geo, she plays Fontaine's rock'n'roll, soon starring at the Iridescence Tour in a few days, please give a warm round of applause for: miss Xinyan!"

From the back, the rocker takes a confident step towards the front of the platform.

The crowd gasps as they look over the new figure. She has dark skin like a lot of natives, but her clothes and attitude are all but local. She wears what looks like Liyue style clothing but with very weird cuts and patches with Inazuman-style sleeves, she has mismatched socks and a fishnet stocking on one leg, and more impressively her dark hair is held up in two big bundles by spiked hair rings. But what surprises the crow is her scary looking face and make up: orange eyes, black lipstick, blood red eye lids, and a mean look, with a toothy smile.

"Howdy people, my name's Xinyan! How are ya doing tonight?!" She screams with a booming voice and accompanies her call with a gnarly chord from her guitar.

The crowd doesn't wait long to react with a surprising positive response from the get go:

"Wooow she looks awesome!"

"Mom, she looks like a tepetlisaur!"

"Welcome girly, show us what you got!"

The crowd cheers anew, impressed by the style of the newcomer. Xinyan herself is taken aback for a moment by the unexpected spontaneously positive response. Her style is usually frowned upon especially by the highborn folks, so she feels the welcome incredibly refreshing and beams back at the crowd. That being said today she only wants to be a backer for the dancers, so she quickly moves next to the Djwith a wave of her hand and she starts playing a few riffs to warm up the crowd to loud cheers. People are already jumping and dancing to the beat!

"Now then, who among you want to defy our dancing experts on stage? Raise your hand high and show yourselves!" The organizer screams at the excited crown, and everyone looks around expectantly. Immediately Eula, Amber, and to their surprise Collei all raise their hands. They look back at the latter with wide eyes.

"I want to dance too!" She shouts, with a determined look on her face. Both Eula and Amber melt at her cute but confident face. They all start moving to the stage with a couple other tourists and natives.

The first participants are locals, and they start first to show the newcomers how it's done: two people challenge themselves to a duel, and they both get a chance to show their dance moves and one up each other, with the winner decided by the cheers of the crowd. The first battle ends quickly, all the rules implicitly acknowledged by the participants. Then comes the first guest dancer: Amber!

She is up against a big but fit woman from Fontaine who steps first. She dances mostly with leg work, turning and tapping her shoes on the wood of the floor, producing sounds in rhythm with the music. The guitarist backstage tries to give her some appropriate accompaniment, focusing on the rhythm rather than the melody. She finishes and bows, the crowd claps at the unexpected performance. But Amber stands up straight and proud in front of her, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders with pretend disdain. She jumps on the dance floor!

The audience gasps at her audacious moves: she starts crouching with her little hands forward, stomping on the ground, imitating what looks like a tepetlisaur ready to pounce at her opponent. The crowd is surprised and the children are already giggling at her unexpected dance moves. But it is when she falls down to the floor and starts moving around like a snake that the whole crowd erupts in laughter. Xinyan and the DJ have switched to an sinister, haunting songs with discordant notes, which contribute to making Amber's moves even more hilarious to the audience.

She ends her unexpected routine and bows to clapping and laughter, winks at Xinyan, before coming back to the side with both Eula and Collei who are trying to hide their embarrassed, red faces. Somehow Amber lost the battle (laughter does not get counted, officially), but she doesn't care as she has obtained the result what she expected.

Next comes Collei! Emboldened by Amber's antics, thinking that she could not be any more ridiculous than her big sis anyway, she proudly walks on the stage and challenges another man from Fontaine. Collei starts first, moving her feet arms and body all at once, her dancing is flowing, she swirls along the music, she keeps her eyes on her opponent and smiles like an angel. She is trying to imitate Nilou's dance of Sabzeruz, and although the music is more aggressive than she is used to, she still tries to adapt to the beat, weaving her whole body to the waves. Her movements are eager but still a bit awkward, stumbling here and there, but the audience is drawn to her eagerness and gentle moves, and they cheer for her with glee. She ends her little routine, bows as well, out of breath. Her boldness exhausted she runs back to the side into Amber's arms. Amber gives her a squeeze and a big smile, proud of her little's sister bravery. The audience claps politely with big smiles on their faces: they are not mocking her, the reason they like those events is to discover new and exotic dances and Collei has delivered! A few little boys and girls are already trying to imitate her intricate moves, to the delight of their parents.

Her opponent takes the stage with a determined look on his face and a feathered hat on his head, and he starts actually break dancing, weaving his body around, rolling and spinning on the floor. The audience's voices rise again to the more usual dance and accompany the obviously more experienced dancer, backed by another expertly improvised song. With no surprise, Collei lost the battle, but she surely won the heart of the audience.

Finally it is Eula’s turn. The crowd and stage go silent as she walks to the center of the stage with a dominant look, sucking the attention of the whole place with her mere presence. She turns her body away from her opponent, who gulps down loudly. She raises her hands, and the music starts, right on cue. She moves, slowly at first, but with incredibly precise and controlled movements, following the unknown music perfectly. Xinyan wants to rise up to the challenge of such an accomplished dancer and she adds complicated riffs and rhythm, to which Eula responds with half steps and swirls without even missing a beat. The audience is transfixed by her beautiful figure on stage, moving like a flickering candle light, a gentle yet strong flame moving to the songs of rock in the nation of fire. She weaves her body in impressive contortions, earning gasps from the audience, men and women alike. She ends in a powerful pose, before the audience erupts in cheers. Both Amber and Collei are screaming her name to the side, once again reminded of her incredible talent. Eula comes back to them with her head held high, not even deigning looking back at her opponent. The battle continues, but the other person, although a local, can't hold a candle to her performance.

The event continues for a good time until the night falls completely, the cheers and screams of the crowd resounding through the cavern. Without surprise, Eula wins the competition with loud cheers, and she wins a cute little bracelet made of red and blue pale gems. Amber and Collei also get participation prized, a little gem of their choosing.

After stepping away from the stage, they are suddenly approached by the devilish looking Liyuan musician Xinyan.

"Heyo! Those were some nice moves ladies!" She greets them quickly, her breath still not fully back from her long jamming session.

"Thanks Xinyan!" Amber winks at her again.

"Aha! So you do remember me, Amber! I wasn't sure since you went straight to dancing over there. Killer moves by the way, mwahaha!"

Eula raised an eyebrow. She hadn't missed any of the two winks her lover had sent to the rocker. "So, you know Amber miss ‘Xinyan’?"

"I sure do! Some time ago I went to Mondstadt with my friend from Inazuma for a summer inspiration trip. Miss Amber over there offered to escort us for part of the way, and she was a great guide!"

"Aha! No problem, I just did my job as an Outrider. By the way, are you still together with Kazuha? Is with you maybe?"

"Heck yeah! He's actually in Natlan with me! He's not here right now, we've gone to different tribes for a few days. I think he doesn't like the sounds in here too much..."

"Oh nice! I hope we can meet him again before we go finish our trip!"

"Tell ya what, we're actually here for a grand occasion, I think you've heard: this year's Iridescence Tour is in Natlan, and ya can bet your family jewels that I triple checked the date and came way in advance! No way I'm missing it this time! Ah, hold on a minute..." She searches through a pocket and takes out a folded pamphlet. "Here! The festival is in a few days at the Stadium! Please come if ya can, it'll be a blast!"

"Sure will!"

Behind Amber Eula coughs loudly. Amber gasps. "Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce my friends!" She continues, a bit more formally: "As you have heard, this is Xinyan, a talented musician from Liyue!"

"Nice to meet y'all!"

"And these two are Eula, my girlfriend, also from Mondstadt," Eula nods politely, "and my lil sister Collei, from Sumeru."

The green haired girl stiffens and bows. "Hello miss Xinyan! Nice to meet you!"

"Oh your dance was beautiful, Collei! It kinda reminded me of my friend, Yun Jin, back in Liyue Harbor!"

"I have heard of Miss Yun's opera troupe. I wish to attend one of their performance one day." Eula says.

"Yeah, she's great! But your dancing was out of this world though, ma’am!"

"Hem, thank you miss Xinyan, I appreciate it." The tall woman blushes ever so slightly, which doesn't escape Amber's keen eyes, who then smiles knowingly.

"Well then, be sure to come to the festival if you can! I still have some things to discuss with the DJ here, he's got some great music sense, t'be a shame if we didn't exchange tips, ya know?"

"OK! Then see you again Xinyan!" Amber waves at the dark skinned musician going back on the stage.

"Shall we go? We need to get Diona back before we get back to our lodging."

"Sure! Also I wouldn't say no to a bit of washing, all these moves made me sweat like craaaazy!"

"You mean with all the dirt you gathered while you were writhing on the floor like a headless mop?" Collei giggles.

"Hey, that was just my way of expressing myself, I am an artist you know!"

The three girls chat and laugh and they go through the streets of the cavern city as the sounds of its denizens slowly starts to fade into the night.

"Sooo..." Amber approaches Eula with a mischievous smile on her face, away from Collei. She whispers. "Would?"

"Who? Miss Xinyan?" Eula obviously knows what Amber means, but she feigns ignorance. Her face gets slightly redder. "...Maybe."

"Aha! I knew her fiery temper would pierce your icy defenses! I should know!" Amber giggles and wraps her arm around Eula's waist in a pretend possessive gesture.

They quickly arrive at Kachina's home, where her parents greet them. But neither Kachina nor Diona are in sight. After asking about their whereabouts, the parents smile at them and tell them to follow discreetly into their home. The mother opens a door slightly ajar and they peek inside: both Kachina and Diona and sleeping soundly together inside, a blanket over them both.

"We didn't want to wake them up, they looked so happy together! I'm so glad Kachina made a new friend..." The mother smiles with gratitude in her voice, trying to be discreet. "So... would you mind if little Diona spends the night here? They both pleaded us to allow her to stay, but I could not promise them without your permission."

In the room they suddenly hear rustling noises. They tense up, fearing to have woken up the little girls, but their sound snoring resumes.

"Of course" Eula whispers, a gentle smile on her face. "We will come back tomorrow morning, is that agreeable?"

"Yes, thank you!" Kachina's mother nods. "How about some hot cocoa before you go? I would love to have a chat with you."

"That sounds lovely. What do you think?" Eula turns towards Amber and Collei, who both nod. "Looks like we're all happy to share a late night drink with you, then."

After a quick clean up the guests sit around a table and enjoy a nice hot drink. But within a few minutes Collei starts nodding off: the night has already fallen and it is indeed time to think about going to bed. They quietly say good by to Kachina’s mother and go on their way.

The three remaining ladies go back to their lodging, wash up and get to bed, quickly falling asleep after their satisfying day. The night is surprisingly silent in the mining city of the Children of Echoes. A fertile time for peaceful sleep and dreams.

Chapter Text

Eula wakes up just as the fist sun rays peek down the chasm of the city of the Children of Echoes. She starts to move to stretch, but she feels something warm in her arms.

“...Amber?”

“Oh! ‘Morning Eula!” Her girlfriend has obviously sneaked into her bed and curled into a ball as her little spoon, as she likes to do. But Eula is more interested in what Amber’s hand movements.

“...what are you doing?”

“Ah, sorry! Look!” Amber shows what looks like a little toy in her hand. A kind of miniature Baron Bunny like the numerous ones she had created before. But this one is orange and has broader, shorter ears with blond hair and a little cap. “That’s a Baron Pika! Or something, I don’t know what name to give it yet.” She said with a smile. Eula squints at it. Indeed, the little thing has a passing resemblance to Kachina, Diona’s new friend.

“Very cute.” Eula nuzzles at her girlfriend’s neck, which earns herself a cute fit of giggles.

“Amber? Whe’e are you? Do you wanna go on a mo’ning run?” Collei has just woken up with her eyes half closed, and she’s already calling for Amber with a typical half-asleep tone.

“Ah! Right on time! Time to get up Collei!” Amber jumps out of Eula’s embrace and goes to get her little Sumeru sister out of her bed. Her leaving Eula so promptly leaves the tall woman a bit cold… so she decides to get up as well. She also needs to train after all.

Amber helps Collei wash up and untangle her sleepy bed hair (always a piece of work), but they have their own routine now, and soon enough they storm outside, without forgetting to wave at Eula in passing.

The sounds of the City slowly rise up as its inhabitants wake up and start preparing for their day. A choir of chitchats, children’s laughter and even some songs start to echo through the cavern. The Children of Echoes are ready for another day!

Once the three women are done with their morning training, the first order of business is to go get Diona, and so they walk leisurely towards Kachina’s place. When they arrive they find both little girls happily chatting around a table, half talking and half eating. Kachina’s Father this time is the one to greet them, and he promptly invites them to share their breakfast, to which they happily agree.

“...and so that makes Kachina a great warrior! Isn’t that so cool?!” Diona says excitedly, her little tail wagging behind her.

“Very impressive. It still baffles me that you had children fight in the war, though.” Eula comments while cutting a fruit for Diona.

“The situation had become very dire, you have to know.” Kachina’s father replies without flinching at Eula’s subtle critic. “It wasn’t easy to see Kachina go to war, trust me, but it is tradition to raise our children to be ready to fight against the Abyss.” He stops for a moment to clean up his daughter’s mouth who has eaten a bit too much jam. “I can only hope that I will be able to raise my lovely daughter like a true child from now on. Archons permit.” He looks fondly at the little girl who has inherited his pikafolk features.

After finishing their meal the group stands up, and Collei discreetly elbows Amber in the side. With a quizzical look she turns her head to look at Collei, who gives quick glances towards Kachina. “Oh right! Kachina, I have something for you!”

“Hm? What is it?”

“As an apology for my… impoliteness yesterday, I’ve made you this!”

Kachina opens her hands and receives the little pika doll. “Oh… oh it’s so cute! And it even has a cute little gem on its head! Thanks I love it!” The little girl beams back at Amber.

“Would you like to give it a name? Mine is called ‘Baron Bunny’, so I was thinking something like ‘Duke Pika’ or something like that, but you can choose something else if you’d like!”

“Uh? What’s a Baron Bunny?”

“Aha! Allow me to demonstrate!” Amber walks to an open area and chants: “Go go Baron Bunny!” She sends a little ball of fur in the air, and as soon as it lands it inflates into her signature dancing doll. The little figure starts to dance, to the impressed eyes of Kachina and her dad. Not only that, but even the Teplisaurs of the family seem interested by the dancing rabbit.

One of them even gets closer, and it actually seems to be a bit too interested: it tries to embrace the doll, but it’s squeaky constitution only makes it bounce away. Undeterred, it continues to try and hug the doll.

“Oh! Apolo, don’t do that!” Kachina’s Father shouts, embarrassed at the sight. He turns to talk to the Outrider: “I… I think it’s trying to mate… I mean to seduce your doll, miss Amber!”

“Wait, itsthat one of your battle Baron Bunnies, Amber?” Collei asks apprehensively.

“Why of course!”

BOOOOM

A sudden detonation reverberates throughout the cave. The whole group turns their head towards the site of the explosion and only find a cloud of smoke which quickly disperses, leaving a stunned Tepetlisaur on its back, eyes wide open. It’s mouth can only whimper a sad roar.

“...I think Apolo just got its heart broken.” Collei stated.

“Tehe! I’m so sorry, I should have told you that it was an explosive doll!” Amber voiced a half apology, but her smile with her tongue out betrayed her amusement instead. And honestly the whole group started to laugh at the poor saurian’s short lived love story.

“To be honest though, that was some impressive explosion there.” Kachina’s Father comes closer to Amber with a more serious face. “As you know we are a mining town, so anything explosive related is of interest to us… Would you be willing to share your expertise on the matter? What explosive did you use? What about the fuse?”

“Dad, stop pestering my friends! They’re here on vacation, they’re not here for work!”

“It’s fine, Kachina!” Amber exclaimed. ”I don’t mind, it’s not a a secret really. I can tell you what I use, but do note that I’m not really the best at explaining, and there are other better experts in Mondstadt!”

“Oh I know!” Diona shouts suddenly. “Why don’t you come visit Mondstadt? I’ll make sure that you are welcome at my home in Springvale!” She jumps up excitedly, happy to have an opportunity to invite her new friend to her home.

“That sounds like a lovely idea. Why don’t you exchange your addresses and contact details while Amber explains her… craft?” Eula raises the idea, and everyone agrees.

Very soon noon comes and the group of tourists decides that it is time to continue their adventure. They ascend the stairs all the way to the Statue of the Seven that overlooks an immense valley: the Savannah. They have spent a bit of time discussing the route they would take thanks to Pacal’s up-to-date information, and they have set their sight towards the next tribe: the Scions of the Canopy.

They are checking their bags one last time, and they are saying their good byes. Kachina and Diona hug, a little tear in their eyes. They decided to stay in contact by letter, and soon they hope to see each other in Mondstadt.

“Aaah… So you’re going then?” A voice in the trees next to the statue makes the group jump. Xilonen is lying on a branch, so well hidden that she had to move for them to see her. She yawns and stretches, before jumping down to the ground with all the effortless grace of her kind. “Safe travels, ladies. Oh… if you don’t mind, if you are going to the Scions of the Canopy, would you mind passing this uh... package to someone named Kinich? If you don’t find him, just leave it to the chief, he’ll… hmm… know what to do. Oh, and here’s another package with a few gifts for you all, for the trouble. I got a little something for each of you, also as thanks for being so nice to Kachina.”

“Thank you, Xilonen, we appreciate your attention.” Eula politely accepts both packages and stuff them in her backpack. “Oh, and here. A little souvenir from Mondstadt, since you’ve been so kind to us.” Eula hands over a discreet little box with the Church of Favonius’s mark on it.

“Thank you Xilonen!” Diona goes to hug the pantherfolk lady as well. They had not interacted that much during their stay, but the katzlein girl still remembered the help the woman had gracefully provided to her.

“Well, then, are you all ready?”

“You betcha!”

“Yes Ma’am!”

“Yes ma cherie!”

Eula rolls her eyes at the forced wink that Amber throws at her, but she soon let the Outrider take the lead. From the top of the cliff to the Savannah, the easiest way to travel for Mondstadt travelers is obviously gliding! It goes without saying that all three Monstadters know how to glide perfectly, but Collei also has no issue doing the same: no doubt Amber’s influence had led her to learn and quickly master the wings of freedom.

They jump from the cliff and float down towards the Savannah, under the sparkling eyes of Kachina who waves goodbye, and the impressed glance of Xilonen, who slowly gets back on her branch to continue her midday nap.

The wind is warm and gentle, the next part of the adventure starts now!

Chapter Text

The Savannah of Natlan is an incredible expanse of green meadows and brown soil dotted by giant trees all framed by wall-like cliffs. All along their immense heights it seems that some unknown giant artists have drawn numerous brightly colored graffiti, making the whole valley their art gallery. The ground is cut by innumerable chasms, as though a wild giant beast clawed through the earth millennia ago.

High above in the sky a flock of birds circles slowly down, before finally landing on one of the elevated cliffs to the West of the Children of Echoes. They continue to move along the crevasses, flying from one to the other. However those are not birds: they are a group of tourists flying with their wind gliders!

Amber, the Outrider from Mondstadt, leads the way making sure to guide her companions to use the most effective path through the air, here and there finding hot air currents to fly up.
Right behind her, Collei and Diona fly side by side. The Forest Ranger from Sumeru is in charge of Diona’s safety, but the Katzlein girl doesn’t seem to have much difficulty following: her Mondstadt upbringing makes gliding a second nature for her.
Finally Eula closes the rear. She is technically the leader of the group, so her role right now is mostly to check for potential danger and act accordingly.

Thankfully the whole group doesn’t encounters much difficulties, and they finally decide to take a break at the top of a meadow that overlooks a big chunk of the valley.

“Everybody, hydrate!” Shouts Amber, taking her own flask to take a sip as a demonstration. The rest follows diligently, sighing a breath of relief from the cool water drink.

“We’ve flown quite far already. I can barely make out the Statue of the Seven where we started from!” Collei says while sitting down: she puts her bag on the floor to serve as a makeshift chair.

“Uh? You’re right, I was just so focused on following Amber!” The little cat girl shouts in surprise.

“And yet we still have a long way to go to reach the Scions of the Canopy.” Eula replies, already sitting down and looking at her map.

“Wait, where are we right now?” Amber plops her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. She follows Eula’s finger on the piece of paper, checking the landmarks on the way. “Right, I tried to bring us that way, but the distance was too big so I went around this way a bit to the North. In any case, we will have to cross the river at some point, so I think we should go that way…” All the girls huddle together to look at the map, adding their own thought of where they’d prefer to go. Ultimately, Eula decides to let Amber guide them to the river, then she would take the lead to continue on foot.

“You got it! Let’s go, girls!” Amber is already back on her feet and ready to fly away again. It takes a bit more time for her less energetic friends to get ready, but they still nonetheless start to move again.

On the way they take multiple breaks, taking the time to look around and enjoy the novel environment of the Savannah. From afar they can see a lot of wild tepetlisaur herds, burrowing through the rocks dotting the grass fields. They are particularly found of the welps who play awkwardly around on their unbalanced little feet.

At various points Diona crouches down, alerted by a flying squirrel here, or a Savannah fox over there, each time taking out her bow, ready to hunt. But every time she gets stopped by Eula: they brought enough food with them from the Children of Echoes to last a few days, and they should not hunt needlessly if they do not need too. Diona whines, her hunting instincts repressed at every turn. Amber promises to go hunting with her when they get a good chance, and that seems to be enough for young Diona to continue the journey without much complaint.

What impress them the most during their travel are of course the long-necked rhinos: those beasts are so tall that some adults can reach the height of a whole windmill! Or twice a forest ranger watch tower, depending on your references. Their neck is so long that it seems like they have stretched it to reach the highest leaves on the giant trees. As the travelers walk or glide around them, the creatures seem unbothered, as though these feeble-looking animals flying around could never pose a threat to them.

However Diona is still curious, and so she finds an opportune moment when her companions are not looking to sneak away towards one of the huge rhinos. Once she is at its feet, she starts to pat its leg, but the tough skin of the behemoth can hardly feel her. Diona frowns and starts to scratch at it as though it was some kind of scratching post, and now she seems to get a reaction! She smiles mischievously and hasten her play, focusing on one area that seems to make the creature react the most. When the rest of her friends realize that she has gone and where she has been, they look in horror as they see the giants hind leg rising high above Diona, who is still busy at her little scratches. Before they can even call her name, the massive foot falls down!

STOMP

Thankfully it misses on purpose and it shakes the ground right next to Diona, who immediately reacts!

“Hisss!” She spits and jumps away with an impressive backflip, lands on all four, and quickly scampers away to join back her group of friends who were running towards her.

“I told you to stay close to me, Diona! That’s what you get for doing whatever you want!” Collei scolds her loudly but keeps her in a hug to sooth the trembling little girl. After a minute or so of hugging and soft scolding, she has calmed down and turns around with tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry…” she pleads, fidgeting with her hands.

“Well it looks like you learned your lesson. Now turn around, I need to fix your hair.” Collei takes out a comb from her hair and gestures to Diona. Indeed her instinctive fight or flight reaction has made all the hair on her body stand up straight, and her pink hair now looks incredibly puffy.

“Pff… You look like the cotton candy from the Ludi Hasparum festival, Diona!” Amber cannot stop herself from teasing the little scaredy cat, who hisses in return.

“Amber, don’t make things worse!” Collei admonishes her big sis, and tries to keep the little cat girl still with a strong arm on her shoulder while she gently combs her hair.

After a few minutes everyone has cooled down from the incident. Apart from Amber who has been mostly teasing, Eula is the only one who hasn’t really done anything, choosing instead to observe her little group. In particular she has been observing Collei’s reactions to Diona’s accident, and she makes a mental note about her handling of the situation: even though Diona did escaped her vigilance, the responsibility was shared by all three of them. She still made sure that Diona was safely back, scolded her appropriately, and finally she made sure that Diona calmed done afterwards. Eula smiles: it looks like Collei has become a quite dependable young lady while she has been training as a forest ranger. Her coming of age is coming soon and Eula can’t help but realize that the little girl that Amber presented to her a few years ago, all skittish and thin, now has bloomed into a strong lady. She might still lack confidence and self assurance, with some clumsiness here and there, but she will become a force to reckon within a few years, without a doubt. And speaking of clumsy…

“Amber? How long do you think it will take us to reach the bottom of the valley where we can cross?”

“Oh! I’d say one hour? As long as we don’t have more scary incidents like that one, that is.” The Outrider replies almost professionally in a sudden change from her usual free-spirited self. When her and Eula exchange important information while traveling they tend to go back to a more direct, business behavior, which ensures that they can be efficient all while being relaxed for the rest of their journey.

“Good. We still have time before the sun starts dipping. Is everyone ready to continue?”

“You know it!”

“Yes!”

“Yeah.”

It sounds like Diona is staying moody now, but she begrudgingly follows without complaining.

The group gets lower and closer to the river down in the valley, but before they do they encounter yet another herd of the tall rhinos. Amber can’t help but try something she’s wanted to do as soon as she laid her eyes on the long-necked creatures…

“Look at me! I’m the rhino queen now!” She raises her arms and waves excitedly at her companions back on the ground. They can’t believe that the Outrider would be so reckless as to try and land on top of these gigantic creatures, and yet here she is: standing on the head of one of them, like a little crown on the giant’s head! The creature doesn’t seem to think much of its new hat, and after shaking its head a little and realizing that its passenger doesn’t do much, it just continues on its way towards a particularly appetizing tree. After a minute Amber has had her fill of the spotlight and glides down towards the group on the ground. She half expects Eula or Collei to scold her like Diona, but they are still looking back at the long-necked rhino.

“Look Amber!” Collei points, and Amber follows her finger. She gasps: the giant creature has a huge scar on the side of its neck, all the way down to its chest. It seems to be quite recent and to have just finished healing.

“What happened to it?? I don’t think there is any creature in Natlan, or even in Teyvat, who could do this kind of attack on a creature that big!” Collei continues, alarmed but mostly pitying the giant beast who just continues to munch on its leaves, unbothered.

“Oh, maybe a dragon attacked it??” Diona exclaims excitedly.

“Unlikely. Dragons are mostly extinct. Apart from Dvalin, I haven’t heard anything about any other dragons still roaming Teyvat.” Eula answers calmly.

“Then… could it have been injured in the war against the Abyss?”

“That is more likely.” The tall woman shudders. She’s had her fair share of Abyss creatures to combat, but she cannot recall one big enough to injure a beast of this size. “The war seems to have been devastating, and not just on the people of Natlan.”

“I’m glad it’s over now. At least children like Kachina won’t have to fight anymore.” Collei fidgets, trying not to look at Diona while she talks. She keeps imagining what it would be like if they had been the ones who had to send their own to battle, and she could not bear the thought of the little cat girl that she sees as a little sister going to war.

“Anyway, we’ve reached the river. I’ll take over from here. Everyone check your bags, take a sip of water and follow my lead.” Eula takes back control now that they are on the ground.

Soon enough they find a place where the water current is slow and the bottom of river shallow enough, before jumping from boulder to boulder to reach the other side. After removing their boots and socks they all manage to make it across with just they feet wet… except for Amber who slips and falls headfirst in a gigantic splash! Collei and Diona burst out in laughter, and even Eula puffs in her fist, unable to keep her prideful facade. But she soon clears her throat and goes to help up her poor girlfriend.

“Oh no, my uniform will get all wet!” the drenched Outrider complains, “… will you help me out of those wet clothes, Eula?” She makes a forced wink with a dumb smile on her face, making Eula roll her eyes in disbelief.

“Here they are again…” Collei whispers under her breath with a smirk, all while Diona continues to giggle, unaware.

“No matter, the sun is slowly going down and it is high time to find a place to settle for the night. There is no way we will reach the next tribe at this rate.” They take a small break to help Amber dry up and change, keeping her wet clothes attached to the outside of her bag to hopefully make them dry up before the sun is gone. Amber takes the opportunity to change into a set of clothes she just bought from the Children of Echoes, and she happily walks along as if that had been her goal all along.

They had managed to reach the Children of Echoes the same day they had entered Natlan, so this would be their first night camping outside in the land of fire. A new experience!

Chapter Text

The sky above the Savanna finally starts to turn gold and the group decides to find a place to camp and pass the night: they opt for a small meadow sheltered from the winds by a cliff, slightly inclined and not too far from the main river. As usual Collei volunteers to pitch the tents, and the others set up the rest: Amber digs a hole to set up a campfire that she lights up effortlessly and then sets out to find flammable twigs, branches and wood to have enough to last the night. Eula goes to scout the perimeter to check for potential hazards, wild beasts or bandits that might be around. And little Diona starts preparing the food, fishing a few ingredients from Eula's backpack. She did not forget that Amber is to be technically the one in charge of this first lunch in the wild since they arrived in Natlan, having lost the race to the shore… so in a hurry she starts to cut the carrots, onions and potatoes, shooting anxious glances in the direction where Amber has gone.

Collei makes quick work of both tents and takes a short break rewarded by one of Diona’s cold drinks, freshly made.

"Aaah..." She breaths out in relief, "it's so refreshing!" Now relaxed, Collei sits down next to Diona and decides to help her for a bit: she too is dreading Amber's cooking! The first few times she did force herself to eat her half-burnt half-raw steaks, if only to not disappoint Amber's expectant, sparkles-filled eyes. But she had soon learned to avoid her big sisters horrible cooking, especially when Eula had shown her how to handle the issue effectively: take a bite, nod and smile politely, then change the conversation by asking something about her Outrider work, her Knights duties, or Jean's latest orders. While the red girl would be busy proudly expanding on her latest exploits, they would switch her failed dish with another, more edible one. But this subterfuge will be harder to pull off out here in the middle of the wild, so they are hoping Amber will forget about cooking altogether.

The bunny girl in question quickly comes back with a few dry branches under her arm as well as a colored bird over her shoulder. "Look what I got us!" she puts down her game proudly for the girls to admire. The Halbered-Crest bird, as Collei calls it after pulling out her guide, has been shot straight through the neck with one of Amber's arrow. "That was a sneaky one! I was gathering twigs in the woods over there, when I found a bunch of eggs spread out on the ground! I am not sure why they were not in nests, but maybe that’s how these birds take care of their eggs? Anyway, I slowly stepped away, you know not to disturb the ecosystem and all," Collei nods at this part, "but when I was almost out of the little forest this fella threw itself at me and struck the tree right next to me! Believe me or not, it made a big hole through the trunk! The tree was basically cut in half!"

"That sounds quite dangerous Amber! Did you get hurt?" Eula is coming back from her patrol, a frown on her face. She obviously overheard Amber recount the near accident that just happened and she tries to hide her worry with her apparent anger.

"Nah! Just a few splinters here and there from the impact, nothing to it!" The bunny girl beams at her worried girlfriend nonchalantly. She does have a few trickles of blood on her cheek, arms and neck, but she shrugs it off like it was nothing.

"I'll be the judge of that. Collei, Diona, would you mind preparing the bird? I'll have a look at Amber. We don't want those wounds to get infected."

"Oh, you can use the tent I just pitched over there if you need privacy! I've already put down the mats and everything! And the first aid kit is over there…"

"Thank you Collei. Amber, with me." The injured woman does not dare respond, choosing to follow sheepishly.

The two remaining girls look at each other for a second with a knowing look. Yep, let's finish the preparation before Eula finishes treating Amber, that will be better for all of us! They split the work based on their specialties, so hunter Diona starts to remove the feathers of the bird while plant specialist Collei finishes cutting the vegetables. It isn't long before they have cut down the meat into small pieces, so they put them in their small cauldron over the fire with a bit of fat. The meat cooks for a while and after it has gotten a golden color they add the rest of the cut vegetables, a handful of herbs from Collei's secret spice pouch, and some water. They put a lid on top to let the ragout cook with a weak fire. While they have been busy they have heard moans and small cries of pain coming from the tent. Eula was indeed taking care of Amber.

The sun is below the horizon when the two women get out of the tent, Eula with a neutral expression and Amber all red in the face.

"You meany... You could have been more gentle..." she complains, a small tear on the side of her eye and fresh bandages on her skin here and there.

"That's what you get for getting reckless. I lost count of how many spikes and splinters you had stuck on you, my little hedgehog. Now, go and finish your work." Eula gives her a small slap on her buttocks, which earns a cute squeal from the bunny girl, much to Eula's delight.

"I'll have my revenge tonight..." Amber mumbles under her breath.

"It's fine, we're done! We just need to wait a bit for it to finish cooking thoroughly!" Diona hurriedly says, to make sure Amber would not go near the kitchen area. Collei nods furiously and invites the two other women to sit by the fire and relax with them.

It has been a long day and the little group sitting around the fire rests and chatters away while the darkness of the night falls down on them.

“So we’ve started our journey through Natlan and we should be able to visit all the tribes if we do things right.” Eula starts a new topic, to the cheers of the others that are happily stuffing their faces with the delicious dinner. “Tell me, where do you want to go the most? Depending on your wishes we can extend our stay if needed. Though I am sure most of you will want to get to the Stadium in time for the festival, correct?”

“Yeah! Exactly! I can’t wait to see Xinyan perform on a grand stage!” Amber raises her hand excitedly, but the others also nod energetically. “And for my part I want to visit the Flower-Feather Clan the most, obviously! I heard they take flying very seriously, and they don’t even use wind gliders! I can’t wait to get there!”

“As expected. Well, their clan is a bit far away so it might take a while to get there, but don’t worry we will. What do you think Collei?”

“Hmm?!” The girl from Sumeru has a mouth full and starts to chew at a faster pace before gulping loudly. “I-I also want to fly with the Feather Clan! But personally I am most looking forward to the Night Wind clan. I believe I can learn a lot from their spiritual rituals. If I could somehow learn how they use these for therapy, I think it might be a good subject if I want to write a thesis someday!”

“That sounds lovely, but do remember that we are here on vacation, so make sure you take the time to rest and enjoy the culture. Oh, now that I think about it, both of these clans are quite close to each other, so we might even be able to split up if you want to spend more time in one of both. Now then, what do you think Diona?”

“Hmph! Hmm… Hmph! Hmmmph hmm!”

“… Finish eating before talking, dear.” Eula smiles and reaches out to clean Diona’s mouth with her handkerchief.

“Gulp… I don’t really care where we go, as long as there are things I can hunt!”

“Then I guess we will have to set aside a few days to do that. Amber, Collei are you interested?”

“Yeah! I already promised Diona that I would go hunt with her! It’ll be just like in Mondstadt!” Amber exclaims with a high five with the little cat girl.

“Maybe?” Collei is not so enthralled by the idea of hunting, so she just shrugs. “But what about you, Eula?”

“Oh I am very much interested in the Collective of Plenty. I heard they are masters at training their bodies, and I plan to study their workouts to see if I can use them for the Knights training.”

“Hm, I won’t complain but you already are plenty athletic, Eula.” Amber points at her girlfriend with her fork.

“Keeping in shape is a lot of work, as you know, so if I can find ways to be more effective then I will not hesitate to do so.”

“Speaking of keeping in shape, there is one thing we should all be looking forwards to…” Amber smiles again, “and it’s the People of the Springs! I heard that they bathe in hot springs! And they have huge beaches where people play all day! I can’t wait to try!”

“And I am not in a hurry, I will admit, but I suppose it will not hurt to try.” Eula huffs but doesn’t complain more: she realizes that she has dragged Amber to an ice bath too many times to say no when the opposite happens.

“I heard they have different saurians in each clan! Right now we have met the tepetlisaurs, in the Children of Echoes, but I can’t wait to see what the ones from the other tribes look like!” Diona changes the subject abruptly, which is fine with Eula.

“In order,” Collei begins with her notebook suddenly out, “the children of Echoes have the Tep… Tepetlisaurs, the Scions of the Canopy have the… Yam? Yum… Yumkasaurs! And the People of the Springs have the Kohala… Kokakola… Kakolak… ? Kohoha?” She strains her eyes and focus to try and pronounce those words, but she is stuck on this particularly difficult one.

“We’ll see how we say their name when we get there! He he!” Diona cuts her off, seemingly uninterested in a long lecture about Natlan fauna. She obviously prefers to meet the beasts directly, and she will indeed.

“That is right, and we will probably see a new kind of saurian when we get close to the Scions of the Canopy tomorrow.” Eula begins to yawn, and each of them imitates her in turn.

“Hmm OK… But I think we forgot something about that… Oh yeah! We have a package to deliver to someone there, right?” Amber suddenly remembers something. “But we also got some gifts from Xilonen! Should we check them now?”

“Good idea! I can’t wait to see!” Collei claps her hands, and Diona goes fetch the packages in question while the rest cleans up after their meal. They keep the leftovers in a little box for later and wash the kitchen utensils, bowls, forks and spoons.

“So… I see that each one of us has a package let’s have a look…” Eula distribute the four packages, all wrapped in a thick cloth and a thin rope.

Diona is the first to react to her gift: “Wowza! Look, look!” She excitedly pulls out a long, brown piece of fabri c which remind the others of…

“Is that a tepetlisaur… pelt?” Collei asks with a shudder.

“I don’t think so, it looks like it is made of woven fibers… nice handiwork.”

“Yeah! Look! It’s a tepetlisaur onesie!” Diona cannot help but put it on on the spot, and after fumbling around with the help of Collei’s dexterous hands, she triumphantly stands in front of the others with her little arms in front of her. “Rowr!” She growls, and the rest claps away, urging her to stomp away happily all around the campsite, to the laughter of her companions.

“So cute… We really need to be buy a kamera when we get the chance.” Amber whispers, and the other two nod with a knowing smile. “That suits you very well, Diona!”

“He he! Thank you! So! So! What you got? Same thing?”

“Hm… not exactly…” Collei is the next one to show off her gift. This one is what looks like cute pajamas in two pieces made of a light brown short and a comfy looking shirt, also themed after tepetlisaurs: she has a cute little hoodie and a short tail at the back. “Hem… maybe I’ll try that one later.” So she says, but her eyes are sparking.

Both Amber and Eula whisper in each other’s ears with words like “kamera” and “definitely” thrown around. “I am sure it’ll look great on you Collei!”

“Th-thanks Amber… S-so, what did you two get, Amber and Eula?”

The two adults have already checked their package, but somehow they seem reluctant to share its content with the others. After a complice look at each other, Eula finally says: “We… also got some kind of pajamas, just like you Collei. Fwahhh…” and suddenly she yawns, very obviously. “It’s getting late, we should get to bed soon. Look, Diona is already starting to nod off!”

“Zzz… Hm? Wha?”

Indeed the time is right, and they all take it as a cue to retreat to their tent for the night. Collei leads the little cat girl to their shared tent, and then waves at Amber and Eula who disappear in theirs.

Soon after their departure from Ghandarva Ville, Collei had quickly learned to put the adult women's tent a bit further away from hers and Diona’s. The reason being...

"Ah, they're at it again!" Diona's ears perk up, picking a sound coming from outside.

"No surprise there, did you see the glances they kept throwing at each other during dinner?" Collei rolls her eyes and hands Diona her ear plugs.

"Thanks!" She put them on and sighs. "I'm used to it though, they're like Mom and Dad: they think they're discreet and silent. But nope!" She giggles. "Well it's a good sign! Whenever Dad and Mom cuddle together it means they are in a good mood."

"Ha ha I know what you mean!" Collei chuckles and, having changed into her new pajamas, she lays down on her bed.

Diona seems to think about something, and after staring at Collei for a while, she asks: “… Hey Collei? Do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend?”

“Uh… Bu… I, no I don’t!” Collei stammers, surprised by the sudden question. Well it isn’t really unexpected: Diona still has years before she would start thinking about that seriously, but she is at an age where she starts to get curious about romantic matters.

“I haven’t really thought about someone that way yet, I think. Well I might have had a crush on Amber when I was younger… But those were special circumstances: she basically saved my life, and I will be forever grateful for that. But now I see her more like a big sister, you know?”

“Hmm… if you say so.”

“And… honestly my head really wasn’t open to that idea when I was still sick.”

“But you’re all healed up now, right?” The little girl’s eyes look at Collei with worry.

“Oh, yes! I mean I am still building back my strength even now, but I’ve never felt better, honestly!”

“Oh, good… because I think it’d be good for you to have someone to cuddle with you at night, like Amber and Eula, I mean!”

“Wh… why do you say that?” Collei blushes but tries not to show it. Her understanding of adult “cuddling” a bit more advanced than Diona’s, no doubt, but that’s probably not what the little girl is speaking about right now.

“Well… every now and then you seem to have a nightmare. When you do I get up and pat your head, and you calm down, after a while. But I wish you didn’t have those at all to begin with, you look like you’re in pain and all! And I think you need to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend to cuddle with you to help with that!”

Collei looks back with surprise at the little girl staring at her with sparkles in her eyes. She isn’t sure her reasoning really holds waters, but… Nightmares, uh… She knows she still has some nights where she can’t sleep properly, and she is a bit embarrassed to have shown this side of her to Diona. As for her finding a friend to “cuddle with”… The idea has started to creep up in her mind now that she is getting back in health and living among young men and women of her age among the forest rangers. She does secretly enjoy some of those romance novels quite a lot now. But finding someone to do… “that” with? Surely she isn’t ready? Or, at least she has to find the right person. Someday, for sure.

She hears a quiet snoring and looks down: Diona has already started her night, her arms spread out all around her like a little starfish in her tepetlisaur onesie. Collei chuckles and puts her blanket over her little companion. Then she blows out the flame in their lantern and lays down again. Soon enough the night claims her consciousness and she falls into a gentle dream.

Chapter Text

Another sunny day opens in the Savannah, and the inhabitants of two tents nested under a cliff start to wake up. Amber is the first to awaken, but she feels a bit sore from last night, so for once she allows herself to stay in bed just for a little bit more. She yawns lazily, stretches and turns to hug her girlfriend who is snoring peacefully. Her arms wrap around the large, rotund body of Eula, and she hears a little squeak when she gives her a little peck. Strange, her skin feels a bit… rough? Something’s strange. Really strange. But it’s when she feels the big viscous tongue of Eula(?) licking her entire face that her half sleeping brain realizes that something really weird is going on! She suddenly opens her eyes, and finds herself hugging a large green reptile looking at her with big, curious eyes.

“Waaaaaah!” She screams and jumps on her feet in a fraction of seconds, pushing the saurian away and onto Eula’s side.

“Goodness gracious what are doing Amb… Eeeeek!” Just like her girlfriend, Eula jumps up and then throws the intruder out of the tent without ceremony. Both women stay transfixed for a while, still half asleep, and they stand there for a minute while they slowly process what just happened. They nod at each other without words, summon their weapons and get outside.

“Roar! Rawr! Roo?” They are greeted by a whole group of Yumkasaur whelps that are busy inspecting their camp. One, two, three, four… five young saurians are running around, squealing and roaring feebly, jumping and sticking their long tongues everywhere. No adult yumkasaurs seem to be in sight, so Eula and Amber decide to try and frighten them away, each in their own style.

“Back away, chaotic beasts!” Eula slams her huge claymore on the ground, and the shaking attracts the attention of all the mischievous (relatively) little creatures.

“Woosh! Away, away!” Amber on the other hand creates two pyro orbs in the palm of her hands and she stomps on the ground while waving her arms, moving slowly towards the little intruders with a menacing face.

“Amba… Iz too early to go runnish… Uh?” Collei sticks her sleepy head out of her tent’s entrance because of all the ruckus outside.

“Collei! Stay inside with Diona!”

“EEEEEK! OK! OK!” She swiftly gets back inside with a panicked expression, but her outburst has startled the Yumkasaurs that were just outside her tent and they immediately start to fly off in every direction. One after another like a weird game of dominoes all the creatures run away, crash into each other, and soon enough only a small cloud of dust and distant shrieks remain.

“Collei? We’re safe now, you can come out.” The girl still hidden peeks out of her tent cautiously, and after checking that the way is clear she runs towards her friends.

“Are you both OK? What was that?” She inquires, checking them both from head to toe for any injuries. When she feels Amber’s face, she quickly pulls away with an air of disgust: her hand is still connected to Amber’s skin with a viscous bridge of dense saliva. She quickly brings a handkerchief to help them both clean up, and after some time all their spirits have finally calmed down.

“How is Diona?” Eula asks.

“Still sleeping… those earplugs Xilonen gave her are really good when she is asleep!” Collei responds with her head strangely turned away. She coughs and starts speaking with a flustered voice: “Uh… Eula, Amber, you might want to put on some clothes now, you are still in your uh… nightwear?”

The two women look at each other and only now realize that they had run out of their tent wearing only their undergarments. The ones they had received from Xilonen, to be precise: both are wearing alluring and very adult, skimpy outfits with some kind of animal theme.

Eula’s face turns pink, she quickly covers herself with her arms, mouths a few inaudible words of apology, something about “uncouth appearance” and disappears back in their tent in a hurry, but Amber doesn’t seem to mind too much. She just looks back at Collei with a smile while she joins her girlfriend back inside. “Thanks for the heads up Collei! By the way, your pajamas look really cute on you!”

“Oh! Uh, thanks! I like it too!” Collei replies instinctively. “Wait… Pajamas?” She looks down at herself and turns pale as she realize she is still wearing her tepetlisaur themed outfit. Needless to say she runs back to her own tent to change as well!

Thankfully only the three women and a group of playful yumkasaur whelps have witnessed this very chaotic start of the day!

“Aw… you should have woken me up! That sounded so fun!” Diona complains while washing her face in the river with Eula. After rinsing the soap off she quickly shakes her head and sprays water all around her, but thankfully Eula knows to stay a few feet away.

“Please don’t rub it in Diona, that was clearly a mistake on my part, I should have set up a watch rotation. I guess I let my guard down, which is unusual.” She stops for an instant and blushes slightly: she knows very well why she “forgot”, but she doesn’t want to admit it. And so she continues: “come here, I’ll comb your hair.” The little cat girl diligently follows her instructions and sits down on a rock with a towel on it, waiting for the grown woman to start gently fixing her hair. After a while Eula realizes that the little girl’s hair is almost at shoulder length when she lets it down. “Say Diona, are you thinking of letting your hair grow?”

“Yeah! I want to see how it looks! I want to have a ponytail!”

“That sounds like a lovely idea.” Eula wonders if Amber’s habit of wearing her long hair in a ponytail while they hunt might have given Diona ideas. She nods: her girlfriend looks particularly dashing with that hairstyle, of course, so no wonder.

“We’re back!” Both Collei and Amber are done with their morning jog which they kept short since they will travel on foot again today. And they did not want to meet more saurians than necessary…

They all finish washing up and cleaning up, change into their traveling clothes, and take down the tents.

“Diona, what do we do when we leave a camp?” A quick quiz from Eula!

“Make sure the campfire is completely out and cover it up!”

“Correct! Why don’t you do it today?”

“OK!” The little cat girl enthusiastically shovels soil on top of their hearth. Since the beginning of their journey they had taken turns for their various tasks, and one objective for Eula is to teach little Diona how to do each of these things. All three grown ups are already veterans in camping outside, so it did not take long for Diona to learn most tasks; the only thing she was still missing was practice, so every now and then Eula asks Diona to practice what she learned. She has proved to be a very enthusiastic student, to all her friends delight.

And now, finally, the group sets off to the Scions of the Canopy!

They follow the river’s downstream direction and the environment gradually changes. From a grass filled steppe they soon enter a realm of towering trees with pale bark, and with them the fauna also changes: there are obviously more long-necked rhinos to eat the large trees leaves, but they also see some new though not unknown creatures.

Diona is the first to spot the flying squirrels jumping from tree to tree, but since they are out of reach even from her bow, all she can do is cackle menacingly at them. And of course Amber is immediately enamored by their first real life encounter with the little furry gliders, and Eula has to restrain her physically to prevent her from climbing the trees and disturb their nests burrowed up on the trunks. All while they walk under the shadow if the giant trees, Collei scolds Amber’s brashness, lecturing her about the consequences of disturbing animals in their natural habitats.

When Amber’s brain has finally melted down, they arrive at a clearing where a secondary river joins the one they had followed, creating a much larger one. But a new sight appears in front of the travelers: a giant tree full of glowing fruits and covered with a herd of Yumkasaurs.

“Be careful about those fruits, they are called… Flamegrenades. No, Flamegranates!” Collei has once again taken out her trusty notebook and she recites what she knows about the fruits. “These fruits can explode if you touch them! And the adults yumsaurs have a habit of eating them and throwing them at people when they feel threatened.”

“You hear that, Diona, Amber? No playing with those glowing fruits.” Eula squints her eyes at the two.

“OK!”

“Hey, why are you warning me too??”

“Knowing you, Amber, you will try to ‘improve’ your Baron Bunny with the local specialties. Don’t even think about it.”

“Meh, you meany!” Amber sticks out her tongue at Eula, to which her taller girlfriend pats her head, strongly enough to mess up her hair. They all laugh at the usual banter and move on, though not without having to keep Diona from trying to hit one of the fruits with her bow. The last thing they need is a forest fire and herds of angry saurians hunting them down!

Which is exactly what happens.

Although not due to a fault of their own: unbeknownst to them, the little yumkasaurs who invaded their camp earlier had kidnapped… a Baron Bunny. The group watches in horror as the young saurians play innocently with the doll like a ball… until it explodes! Thankfully in the air, which avoids a direct deadly blast, but also manages to ignite the dry grass underneath in an instant. Though the fire should be more of less contained by the river flowing all around, what worry the group of tourists are the little scared cries of the whelps who start running towards the adults. It doesn’t take long for the grown up saurian to detect the four intruders badly hidden behind a bush close by, and like one they start making chase!

“Everybody, run! Amber, you take point! Collei, take Diona! I’ll keep them off our tail!”

The regular little drills ordered by Eula during their journey come in full throttle, as the girls very promptly get in order and start running away at a fast pace.

Amber is at the front and she focuses her attention to finding the best place for them to go. Not the river, that would slow them down. The cliff would be a dead end, so the open steppe might be their best shot, even though the saurians should be quite fast there as well. She opts to aim for a path that should be nearby, and she tries to remember the details of the map. A path means that there might be other people, and maybe even patrols, who would be able to help take on the herd of angry yumkasaurs on their tail.

Collei is running while keeping a strong hand on Diona’s, who tries to follow with her shorter legs. Very soon the Forest Ranger starts to pant and heave, the sudden race turning out to be too much too quick for her still convalescent body. Amber knows it, and Eula sees it as well: if they do not find a shelter or a rescue, they will have to dig in and fight, which is not an idea they want to entertain. But Eula will have to make a call very quick.

Just as Collei is on the verge of collapse and Eula prepares to call for a defensive position, they suddenly hear a whistle coming from the sky. They lift their heads on instinct, and they see a green trail zooming at incredible speed towards them. A two pronged attack!? Eula and Amber scramble to regroup and shield the two younger ones with their bodies. They brace for the incoming impact, claymore at the ready and arrows notched into place.

But the green trail soon slows down and pass over them to land between them and the herd of enraged yumkasaurs. A man wearing an intricate assemblage of turquoise, yellow, and black clothes as well as a long headband flowing behind him has suddenly appeared, his back to the girls and his huge sword at the ready.

“Stand back. I’ll take care of those.” He talks with a very calm voice, and ensures they got the message by glancing quickly behind his back. Collei cannot help but gasp as she sees his yellow green eyes pierce her soul. She feels her heart thumping in her chest and her cheeks blush, but it is no longer due to her exhausting run.

“So cool…” she mumbles under her breath.

The man does not wait much longer and slams his sword on the ground, scaring the group of animal enough to slow them down, yet not enough to stop them from getting closer. But he is not finished, and he shouts “For the Lord of the Night”! Immediately the sky above them turns black and what appears to be a huge green dragon flies above the man in a flurry of green fire: the sight is incredible and the flying creature is magnificent, albeit strangely square-shaped. The yumkasaurs very quickly stop in their tracks and promptly turn away, a quick and efficient victory!

The group of tourists sigh in relief and keep observing the majestic, beautiful though strange dragon above them. Such a wonderf-

“Mwahaha! Submit your souls in sacrifice! Measly insects, now you must pay!” the beast roars strange taunts with a trilling voice, very unlike what they imagined the roar of such a regal beast should sound like. And it continues… “Bow down to me! That’s right fuck off in the distance lest you want to feel K'uhul Ajaw’s fire on your butts!”

Eula gasps and immediately puts her hands on Amber’s ears. Such improper manner of speech!

But not before Amber had the time to protect Collei’s ears with her own hands. That’s not something a young lady should hear!

Of course Collei has already covered little Diona’s kitty ears. Do not teach those kinds of bad words to Diona!

But the little cat innocently laughs out loud at the dragon’s swearing, which she can still hear very well because of her Katzlein sense of hearing. With all the drunkards she sees as a bartender in Mondstadt, this is barely enough to make her flinch!

“Ajaw, that’s enough.”

“Hmph!”

The big dragon disappears in a poof, and the sky gets back to normal, as though it had all been but an illusion. The man then turns to face the group and Eula steps up to thank their benefactor.

“Greetings, my name is Eula and I am in charge of our little group of tourists. Thank you for help, kind stranger.”

“Kinich. Just doing my job.” He nods. “You are going to the Scions, correct? I have been told that your group should arrive there soon, but you are still quite a ways off.”

“We took our time on the way, and spent the night camping. Although we ended up getting invaded by a group of young saurians.”

“Yeah not too surprised, that has happened recently, especially now that there is no longer any Abyss threat to cull their population. We’re planning to organize some hunts to reduce their numbers. Sorry you got inconvenienced.”

“Why the fuck are you apologizing to them?! You are my servant, the one who serves K’uhul-hmph!” A strange little creature suddenly appears besides Kinich and starts ranting, but it’s rude ramble is interrupted when a heeled boot throws him to the ground and stomps on it.

“What is that disgusting, vulgar creature?!” Eula spits out in disdain, putting all her weight on the suffocating thing.

“Ajaw… my companion. Please go easy on him.” The man doesn’t seem to react much to his partner getting crushed, but he still crouches down and carries it in his arm to check if it is… still alive.

The four girls look with suspicion at the unexpected little “friend”. It’s body is square, all over. More than that: it seems to magically morph into different forms every time it moves or talks, like a kind a messed up fairy tail creature. They all remember a vaguely similar other flying companion, but quickly shake their heads: the comparison would be an insult to adorable little Paimon after all.

“I can guide you all to the Scion of the Canopy, if that’s alright with you?” He offers once he has made sure Ajaw was safe.

“That would be a great idea.” Eula replies after a quick glance at her companions. She realize that their little fright has exhausted a couple of them, so having a local guide them quickly to their next destination would indeed be great.

“Thanks Kinich! My name is Amber, nice to meet you!” Quick to make new acquaintances, Amber is the first after Eula to greet the Natlan man.

“Hi Mister! I’m Diona! Can I play with Ajaw later?”

“No!” Eula and Amber both retort at once.

“Boo!” She pouts and turns away, but still keeps her eyes on the creature in Kinich’s hands.

“...And you are?” Kinich turns his attention to the last person who hasn’t talked yet. Collei would usually reply quickly at this point with her stiff Forest Ranger salute, but somehow she seems to be in a daze. Amber nudges her, and her face turns red.

“Ah! S-s-sorry! I’m Collei! Nice to meet you, M-m-mister Kinich! How are you?” She speeds through her greeting with a high pitched voice and ends with an embarrassing crack. Upon realizing her obvious excitation, she brings her hands to her face. “Oh, uh, sorry, I think I’m still a bit shaken by the attack. Uh, yeah…”

“Its fine, you are safe with me. Shall we go?”

“Yes. Everyone, let’s move!” Eula calls to her group, but not before exchanging a meaningful glance with Amber.

Something is up with Collei, and the couple has a good idea what.

Chapter Text

Guided by Kinich the group quickly arrives at the base of the cliff leading up to the Scions of the Canopy. They ascend the wooden path snaking around high trees, until they get above the level of their canopies. Collei stops for a moment to admire the colorful top of the trees teeming with life so different than the critters on the bottom of the forest: this is where most birds build their nests, away from most ground dwelling predators, and the whole place is a cacophony of chirping and singing. By this point Eula has decided to keep Diona firmly in her arms to prevent the little hunter from jumping on the trees and disturb it all. Kinich checks his guests once in a while with a quick glance behind him, but he is advancing at a rather quick pace. He is a man of few words which suits Eula walking next to him, the opposite of Amber and Collei who chatter constantly a few feet away.

The path digs into the rock, not unlike the one leading to the Children of Echoes, and it continues higher and higher, around the numerous waterfalls which flow down to feed the main river at the bottom of the gorge. Eula is not reassured by the rarity of hand rails along the way, and she has to remind herself that were anyone to fall, they could always open their wind gliders, but her protective instincts don’t let her relax. The other girls don’t seem to mind the height too much, surely a consequence of their passion for wind gliding. Instead, their eyes are fixed on their destination which appeared a few minutes ago after a large turn around a steep rock: before them stands a gigantic semi circle of wood, ropes, nets, and green and orange clothes that seems to slice the mountain in the middle of its highest cliff. From afar they can see all the people as little dots moving around like little ants, an interesting sight to be sure. The path finally levels and the party starts to recuperate from the hour long ascension started at the bottom of the valley.

They have arrived!

Their guide stops for a moment and clears his throat, “Outlanders, welcome to the Scions of the Canopy, home to the best Saurian Hunters and Couriers, and the best place to experience extreme sports in Natlan.” He seems to recite a tourism pamphlet with a monotonous voice, which elicits a few giggles from his audience. They all know the struggle of repeating a similar opening statement when they welcome strangers, be it an Outrider from Mondstadt, a Forest Ranger from Sumeru, or even a Barmaid at the Cat’s Tail.

Alas, his familiar takes it as a sign to start a new rant and his trilling voice rises anew, “Mwahahaha! Show reverence to the Almighty Dragon Lord K'uhul Ajaw who has lent you the use of his servant! Bow before my magnanimity, your worthless fuc-” he is quickly cut short by a deadly stare from Eula, who traces her own throat with her thumb in a very clear threat. “-f-friends!”

“Yeah!” Diona giggles, still in Eula’s other arm, of whom she thankfully she did not see the gesture.

“Thanks Ajaw!” Collei says politely.

“So! Where to now?!” Amber says with so much energy in reserve that she is literally jumping in place, the climb obviously having barely dented her stamina.

“Go see Chief Wayna. He can register your arrival and organize your lodgings.” Kinich responds briefly, already moving towards the highest point of the mid-air wooden building. The group walks on creaking planks, under the curious eyes of the local children running all around in their typical green clothes, as well as a few yumkasaurs calmly looking over from their nests made of rocks and hay. As they walk they look around with curiosity, observing the dwellings made of wood and brightly colored clothes, very different from the rock carved ones from the previous tribe. Finally they arrive near a huge, dark, upright rock formation held upright by ropes and protected by two giant covers. Eula takes a mental note of this obviously ritual or religious monument, very similar to one in the Children of Echoes. Maybe each tribe has a similar one? She would have to ask later.

At the foot of the dark obsidian totem a man with small dark glasses and a green bandanna salutes Kinich, before greeting the new guests.

“Welcome travelers! I am Wayna, Chief of the Scions of the Canopy. I’m glad you have finally arrived, we were starting to worry since we hadn’t found a clear trail of your journey until now! How was your travel so far?”

“Thank you Chief Wayna, we had a few incidents and a few frights, but mister Kinich saved us a lot of trouble.” Eula answers briefly. She then proceeds to present the members of her group, allowing Wayna to check his notes about them. Before long Kinich excuses himself since his work is done and he quickly disappears with Ajaw in tow.

“S-see you around!” Collei enthusiastically waves at him, but doesn’t get an answer from the man already too far away. Maybe another time…

After a few minutes of chatter, they are finally shown the way to the traveler’s lodge, a large wooden hut built against the side of the rocky cliff, and they choose their beds for the second time in this journey through Natlan. Once again they peek at the other tourists’ luggage to guess where they come from, and again most of them seem to come from Fontaine or Sumeru. Interestingly the number of people is clearly lower here, so they have ample room to put down their backpacks. Two strange beds however stand out: the first one only contains warm and hooded clothes that look fit for a small child; very strange for a visit to the warmest region of Teyvat! The other one has a relatively small bag but in typical Inazuman style with a characteristic tastefully embroidered tissue. Amber thinks she knows where she has seen it previously! She cannot help to meet him again!

After setting down their stuff, the group takes some time to drink a well deserved refreshment at a nearby tavern.

“Alright ladies, we have arrived faster than we expected thanks to mister Kinich, so we can do one activity before dinner. Anything you want to do? We can check the bulletin boards over there if you want.”

“Uh I wouldn’t mind, but I think some of us may be too tired for today,” Amber looks to the side towards Collei and Diona who are sitting down and look a bit tired already. “Maybe we can check the shops? Didn’t you say you wanted to buy a kamera?”

“Ah, yes, Thanks for reminding me Amber.”

“No problem, chérie. What do you want to do, you two?”

“I want to check what we can do tomorrow!” Diona stands up on her chair excitedly, “I heard we can do wall climbing, some kind of jumping from the cliff, and also yumkasaur riding!”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to do all that! Don’t stand up on your chair though, it’s rude,” Amber gently admonishes the little girl, before turning to her friend to the side, “What about you Collei? …Hello? Calling miss Model Forest Ranger?”

“…” Uncharacteristically she doesn’t respond, and her eyes seem to look far into the distance. She sighs, completely forgetting her companions are even there.

“Colleeeei?” Amber wraps her arms around her little sister to get her attention, and the warmth of the Outrider finally makes Collei snap back to reality.

“Um… Uh? Oh I’m sorry! What is it?!” She stands up suddenly from her chair, so quickly in fact that she gets dizzy and stumbles on her feet. Thankfully Amber and Eula both catch her before she falls, and even Diona has bounced off her chair to wrap her little arms around Collei’s waist.

“Are you OK Collei??” the little girl says with worry.

“Oh yeah, sorry, it still happens when I’m, er, tired. Yeah. I shouldn’t stand up too fast like that when I’m still not completely recovered, I guess.” She mumbles an excuse, but with all her companions’ impromptu hug, her mood quickly shoots back up. “Hehe, thank you for your help everyone! I’m fine now, really!” Her mind, however is still preoccupied by someone else. She thinks back again at the moment Kinich arrived to their rescue, like a hero from those novels she likes to read. If he’s a hero, can she dare to dream of playing the role of a princess? Maybe she could find an excuse to get closer to him? What about… the package from Xilonen! “Aaah!” she shouts, again worrying her companions. “Uh, sorry everyone, I’m fine, hehe!” she says, blushing from the ridiculous outburst she just made. She just thought of the perfect excuse to meet Kinich again, but it’s too late in the day now, so she hopes her companions have also forgotten about their errand.

“I’ll stay with Collei here, just to make sure she’s OK. Eula, Diona, why don’t you go check the bulletin board for fun activities to do tomorrow?”

They both look at Amber with suspicion, but they soon nod and go away. Eula insists to take Diona’s hand and keeps a firm grasp on her little paw, since by now she has become pretty scared of the little girl running everywhere with so many places she could fall down.

“You OK Collei?” Amber moves closer to her but tries to keep a bit of distance so as to not spook her.

“Uh, yeah? Yeah, don’t worry. I-I just have some stuff on my mind, that’s all! Don’t worry about me.”

“OK, then. Remember, if you need to talk, I’m here. Alright?”

“… alright. Thanks Amber.”

The two women hug silently, and Collei relaxes a bit from the familiar, protective embrace. Amber did not get an answer as to what is bothering Collei, but she knows that the quirks of the heart are not so easily shared, especially at her age. Yet she is happy to see Collei living her little life now and these issues she is facing are proof that she is slowly maturing into a healthy adult.

A few minutes later, the other two come back, and Diona is all excited.

“Amber, Collei! There’s a story telling play tonight! Can we go? Pleeeease!”

“I told her I would accompany her of course, but she insisted you too come as well,” Eula adds. “Of course you don’t have to. So Diona, you can ask, but don’t be pushy, understood?”

“Oki… So, Collei! Are you coming?”

“Um… I don’t… er… actually yeah! That sounds interesting!” She was about to reject the offer, but upon seeing Diona’s pleading eyes, she can not resist. And after thinking about it some more, she really likes it when she gets around a campfire with her fellow Forest Rangers to listen to their stories, so she figures the experience should be enjoyable, especially with her dear friends around!

Diona switches her target and asks again, “Amber?”

“You bet I’m coming!” The Outrider would have hesitated and politely declined to keep company to Collei if she had refused, but seeing her little sister agree made her quite happy. It would be just like those nights when she was little, when her grandpa would read her a bedside story to make her fall asleep! Her eyes shine with a nostalgic glint, which does not escape her girlfriend’s caring eyes. She, too, remembers being invited to listen to the man’s old stories and falling asleep next to Amber after a long day of training.

And so, the activities for the rest of the day are set: dinner, then story telling. Then straight to bed to recuperate, for they plan to do a lot the next day!

Chapter Text

“Over there, I can see some empty sits, quick!”

The four friends crouch to find a way through the crowded amphitheater at the heart of the Scions of the Canopy, just below the Wayob’s totem which can be seen peeking above everyone’s head through the roof, like a blessing of sort. The additional seats installed on the two side paths are filling up quickly, but they manage to find enough space to squeeze themselves into, as long as Diona sits on someone’s lap, which she doesn’t mind at all. On the contrary, the giddy little cat girl observes with all the energy of a curious kitty child all the people who have decided to attend the Story Telling Night, which is held once a month now that the war is over. Most of the audience in made up of children of the tribe accompanied by their parents, and the hall echoes with incessant laughter and chatter. The mood is light and pleasant, and the place is soon filled up leaving the last people to arrive to sit on the stairs or on the ground, but in the end all of the audience finds a place before the host appears and attracts the attention of the public.

Roca, rock climbing instructor by day, confidently walks on the makeshift stage built in front of what is normally the climbing wall used to train newbies, now hidden behind intricate green and orange banners, the colors of the tribe. She claps her hands loudly but with a slow rhythm, and is soon followed by one, two, then more and more people. The sound of clapping increases and echoes through the hall until it drowns the last chattering people, who soon shut up and turn their attention to the main scene.

“Thank you!” She shouts, and everyone stops clapping at once, like on cue. “Welcome to the Scions of the Canopy’s Story Telling Night, renowned in all of Natlan! Today we have two main events for you all: first, we will have an epic recreation of the myth of Burkina and Kongamoto, performed by none other than our local hero, Malipo Kinich!”

“Oh, I love this story!”

“It’s gonna be good, I know it!”

“Mom, it’s Malipo!”

The crowd is already aflame with the announcement, everyone’s hero will appear tonight! Not that the man is usually unapproachable since he has a habit of working around the camp, but his battle prowess is rarely put on display, so everyone is excited to witness the strength of their hero, even if it’s only an act.

Of course among the four newly arrived tourists, Collei is the most invested, but she tries not to let it show too much. Thankfully everyone is already too excited to see her little blush.

“Of course that’s not all! The second part will be the occasion for you all to enjoy a foreign story from a guest storyteller! We have a few tourists among us tonight, and one of them has gracefully accepted to tell a story of their own! Please give them a round of applause when they come on stage for the second act of the evening!”

“Oooh? Amber! Eula! Collei! Did you register to tell a story?” Diona abruptly asks with sparkles in her eyes.

“Hahaha… nah. I’m a listener when it comes to reciting anything, my pacing and diction are terrible!”

“Ehem. We just arrived, so I really don’t think I would have time to prepare a story on such short notice. Pity, if I had the time I would have loved to share the Legend of Vennessa with these fine people.”

“Aw… What about you, Collei?”

“Uh? Wh-What?”

“…Hmph, never mind. So, there are other strangers here, right?” Diona looks around excitedly, trying to see who it could be. There are indeed a few people with Fontaine attire, and one or two from Sumeru even.

Amber is pretty sure that Kazuha would make an appearance, but she hasn’t seen him quite yet.

“Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our first storyteller, Elder Leik!”

Under rich applause, a very old looking man walks slowly towards the stage, all clad in an impressive, colorful garb. He looks extremely frail for his age, to the point that the public starts to worry about him stumbling and hurting himself at every step, but he manages to get on the stage and stand next to Roca, albeit bent over.

“Thanks Roca, you can go now.” The man dismissively waves the woman away, and she jumps off the stage with a chuckle. Alone he now stands in the middle of the stage, and the lights of the hall slowly fade, leaving only a single light on the lone elder.

“Hear the Tale of Malipo Burkina, Huitztlan warrior of the Scions of the Canopy, and his most trusted and noble friend, Kongamato!” In an instant the old man’s voice roars through the theater, making everyone jump in surprise at the mighty voice he yields and all their attention is now focused on him. No longer bent over, he is standing on the stage with a wide stance, like a warrior about to meet a formidable foe. His eyes glisten with strength, and long gone is the sight of the feeble old man that was there a minute ago.

With a passionate voice he recounts the story of Burkina and his yumkasaur companion, their childhood, the way they were not destined to become warriors at all. But then when the mighty warrior Tenoch recruited him to fight against the Abyss, the young man – who admired Tenoch greatly – joined his group of warriors. And then, when the old man starts recounting the story of the final battle against the Abyss in the brutal land of the Mare Jivari…

The warrior Burkina himself appears on the stage in a flurry of green lights, nimbly landing like a cat to the side of the scene! The stunned audience finally recognizes Kinich, disguised as the legendary hero who gave him his ancient name, Malipo. Under the public’s claps and cheers, he performs a mock battle against a group of fake abyss monsters played by other actors, narrated in detail by the elder. Near the end of the performance, a yumkasaurus appears, disguised as Kongamoto, and fights alongside Burkina!

The children are wowed at every intricate battle moves of their hero, and gasp every time he seems to get hit or pretends to get injured, and Eula cannot help but compare it to a very technical dance, which she approves. Amber and Diona are cheering together with all their might, urging the hero to claim victory! And of course Collei herself is enthralled by the performance of the hero and his magical rendition of a myth she had never known before.

After long minutes of story telling with the commanding voice of Elder Leik and the powerful performance of Kinich and his associates, the story comes to a close with the dreaded death of Burkina, who in his last breath passes his power to Kongamato to ultimately claim victory against the last wave of Abyss monsters. The audience roars and cheers when the story is over, and the actors line up to bow down, all covered in sweat but smiling widely. Except for Kinich, who keeps his usual neutral frown, before discreetly exiting the stage when the noise starts to come down.

“That was amazing!” Diona shouts with little jumps on Amber’s laps.

“Okay everyone, I think it’s time for us to drink something, you’ve all screamed way too much already.” Eula takes out a bottle of fresh water that she passes to her companions.

“Ehe, thanks ‘Mom’!” says Collei teasingly, which earns her a single “humph.” Amber now looks at her girlfriend with a devilish smile; something she’ll be able to use against her later, no doubt!

While they wait for the second act to start they look at the people all around once more, commenting mostly on some cute clothes or trying to spot the other outlanders. It is only after having observed most of the audience that they realize that there are more strangers than they thought at first, for the surprising yet obvious reason that a lot of them have changed into local clothes! Amber has already switched into an attire bought from the Children of Echoes, and now the others are also seriously considering buying some outfits from the different tribes to wear for their journey.

“I just bought a kamera and a lot of film, so this would be a pleasant opportunity for everyone to have a photo shoot along the way, don’t you think?” Eula says, and the others nod enthusiastically at the idea.

“Hey look over there!” Collei suddenly says, pointing to the crowd, “they even have clothes for yumkasaurs!” The other girls turn their eyes with curiosity towards a little individual with a hoodie with two big ears and a kind of greenish overall reminiscent of a yumkasaur whelp, but they don’t seem convinced.

“You sure? It looks like a small child with a good disguise, that’s all?” Amber says with a frown.

“And yet the way they move… doesn’t seem human to me.” Eula adds.

“Hmm no, definitely human,” says Diona, “I can hear him speak with his dad or something, I think his name is Darin?”

“All right everyone, stop spying on people it is quite impolite,” Eula finally says, “If you are so interested, Diona, you can try and find them tomorrow, maybe you could play with that child and other children your age.”

“Hmm, sounds good!”

“Now then, the second part is about to begin, sit down properly everyone.” says Eula, making Collei chuckle; motherly vibes indeed!

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our guest storyteller of the night: hailing from the distant oversea country of Inazuma, a wandering poet and a gifted swordsman, please welcome mister Kaedehara Kazuha!”

Under polite applause and curious stares the Inazuman wanderer walks on top of the stage and waves at the audience with a small, relaxed smile on his face. He is still wearing his typical Inazuman outfit which Amber remembers from his last visit to Mondstadt with Xinyan.

“I knew it, it is Kazuha!” Amber says with joy, jumping up and down on her sit, and she starts cheering and clapping the loudest in all the theater. Diona still sitting on her laps giggles at the sudden shake of her “seat” and blissfully joins in the cheering.

“Ahaha! It looks like our guest already have some fans!” The host says, earning a few laughs from the audience before leaving the stage to the lone poet with one last call, “The stage is yours, good sir!”

“So that’s Xinyan’s friend… I thought he would be… you know, more eccentric?” Collei ponders.

“They say never judge a book by his cover, but that also goes for someone’s friends”, Eula responds. “For example, who would think that I would get acquainted with such an energetic and happy-go-lucky girl like Amber?”

“Hey, who could not fall for my otherworldly womanly charms?” says Amber, throwing out her chest with pride with a wink to her girlfriend.

“Yeah, yeah, invite me to the marriage,” Collei responds with a roll of her eyes.

“Haha sure!”

“Now, time to stop speaking Amber, people are starting to look at us,” Eula says with a cough.

On stage Kazuha starts speaking with his usual calm and soothing voice, “Thank you for the warm welcome everyone, friends old and new, it is an honor for one such as myself to get the opportunity to tell you a story with my humble skills.” He then produces a little lyre from Liyue – a zither to be exact – and he starts plucking the strings to form a simple, repeating melody.

“Today I will tell you the story of a friend and of the civil war of Inazuma.”

The audience falls deathly silent. They are all painfully familiar with their own war stories, but they barely know anything about war in other regions, and for most this is the first time they hear of this one.

“Long ago, I had a friend, Tomo was his name.

Born in poor families, yet surrounded by love, we would play all day from dusk to dawn.

Blissfully unaware of adults worries, we told each other grand stories,

Of skilled swordsmen and shrine maiden, wandering the vast Narukami plain.

We grew up strong and free, with little to no worry.

And then the War began.”

His calm yet loud voice falls to a whisper at his last line, sending shivers through the audience’s spines. He has been reciting his story almost casually using the melody of his instrument to accentuate certain words, yet the sudden change in tone, the melody stop and the rime-less line takes everyone by surprise. He continues with a dire look on his face and a monotonous voice, now plucking his zither with a repeated, harsh, militaristic, single note. He paints the story of the Shogunate raising its army to hunt down vision bearers, of the resistance mounted by the Sangonomiya Shrine, and of the people stuck in between. The youngest spectators listen with bated breath, and the oldest with a serious, pensive frown. The reasons of the war in Inazuma were quite different than in Natlan: while here everyone gathered without question to fight an obvious common foe that was threatening all of humanity, over in Inazuma the war had been between humans.

Kazuha somberly talks of the struggles to fight other people of the same country, fleeing at times, or straight up disposing of enemy soldiers. While he chooses to use paraphrases to lessen the impact, the brutal reality of man-made war dawns on everyone, and the atmosphere becomes heavier.

“One day my friend told me: the Shogun’s war is that of a fool,

I will show everyone who is right through a duel,

As I received his missive, I ran, I flew, I chased after him,

But all I could find at the end of the path, was my friend on the ground… with no life.”

The audience gasps at the tragic story and the now hollow tone of the storyteller. He then describes his escape from the forces of the Shogunate with his friend’s vision, and him joining the Resistance. After detailing the harsh realities of their life and the losing war they fought for years, he finally describes their last-ditched effort to assault the castle of the Raiden Shogun herself to put a stop to the war.

“At the last battle in Tenshukaku, the Resistance finally attempted a coup,

And when the Traveler opened its gates, we sent all our troupes, desperate.

The thunder of the Raiden Shogun was about to fall, when my friend’s vision began to glow,

And as her deadly strike to my heart was stopped, I felt his will shine through me like a sun so hot.

My life was saved by my friend long gone, and I realized that I wasn’t fighting alone.”

The rapt audience is in awe, and the adults whisper their very similar Natlan motto with tears in their eyes: “No one fights alone!”

Kazuha then resumes playing his instrument which he interrupted for the final battle, and from here on his voice slowly comes back to a gentle yet sorrowful tone. His story comes to an end with his last words:

“The war is over yet I have so many scars, hidden behind my smile like a sea of stars,

But do not despair for my life is not yet over, I now travel Teyvat, I fly, I wander,

And although I cannot, in the end, forget the gentle spirit of my friend,

A miracle happened, a new fire was lit… A kind soul took my heart and saved it.

Weary warriors, head my word in the end: take care of yourself, and remember your friends.”

The stunned audience takes a moment to realize the story is over, before erupting in warm cheers and clapping their hands with genuine appreciation. Throughout the crowd the Natlan motto keeps repeating: “No one fights alone!” proof if anything that Kazuha’s story has truly resonated with the people’s hearts. He bows politely in a typical Inazuman fashion, and the show is over.

The crowd has started to disperse, and a few people remain to talk with the star of the second act, a lot of them old people coming to congratulate him with a tear in their eyes, or thanking him for the thoughtful storytelling. But one person in particular comes running from the stands…

“Kazuhaaaa!” Amber cries as she throws herself at the surprised storyteller and traps him in a bear hug. “I-I-I didn’t know you had such a sad story, I’m s-so sorry!” she bawls her eyes out, squeezing the poor man who barely manages to stay on his feet.

“Amber? What are you doing here in Natlan?” he says with a confused look.

“Amber, slow down!” Collei shouts, running after her sister to scold her for the second time in this country, since the Outrider’s propensity for strong embraces has yet to die down.

“Oh, sorry!”

“It is fine, really. You pyro women really like your strong hugs, I reckon,” he replies with a little smirk.

“Hmm! Ah! You must mean Xinyan! We actually met her before, at the Children of Echoes!”

“I guessed as much. That outfit you are wearing is very much in the style of the mining tribe, as far as I can tell.”

“Hehe, as sharp as ever, I see! Oh, it’s so good to see you!”

“Amber, calm down, maybe you could present your friend to us,” says Eula arriving last with Diona at her side.

“Oh, right! This is Kazuha, a genius poet from Inazuma and a wonderful storyteller, as you have just seen!”

“Greetings friends! Kaedehara Kazuha, at your service,” he says with his usual bow.

“Well met Kazuha, my name is Eula Lawrence, Captain of the Reconnaissance Company in Mondstadt, although we are presently all on vacation. I believe you have become acquainted with Amber some time ago in Mondstadt?”

“She’s my wife, pretty isn’t she?” Amber interjects with a proud, beaming smile.

“Ehem, not yet, just girlfriends for now.” Eula retorts with a blush.

Collei steps forwards, ignoring the lovebird’s usual banter, “Hello! My name is Collei, a Trainee Forest Ranger from Sumeru. Nice to meet you, mister! Your story was so moving, I loved it!”

“Hi, I’m Diona,” the little cat girl says while staring at the man with a curious look. After a second she asks, “Mister, can you crouch down, please?”

“Uh? Oh, of course,” Kazuha replies, taken by surprise and unsure of what she means, but he obeys nonetheless. The other women look at each other quizzically, but let Diona do what she wants. When he gets to her level, Diona finally stretches out her little hand and starts to pat his head with gentle, tiny strokes.

“There, there,” she says with a gentle voice.

Kazuha’s surprised face morphs into a relaxed, content expression. “Thank you, little Diona. I appreciate it.”

SNAP

A strange clacking noise makes them jump a little, and Eula quickly hides something behind her back. “Ehem, would you look at the time? Look: Diona is getting sleepy. Maybe we should reconvene tomorrow? Sir Kaedehara, how about having lunch with us at lunch?”

“Just ’Kazuha’ is fine Lady Lawrence, and yes, that would be my pleasure. I intend to stay a little longer here before meeting back with Xinyan at the Stadium ahead of the Festival.”

“Wonderful. And likewise, my friends call me Eula,” she says, before turning towards the other girls, “Ladies, say good night and let’s move.”

Kazuha stays behind to meet a few more fans of various ages, including a few young adults who have obviously been greatly seduced by his charms.

The group finally walks to their lodging, and on the way Collei creeps up next to Eula…

“Hey, I want a copy of that picture you just took,” she whispers.

“Me too! Actually I want two, one for me one for Xinyan! I’m sure she’ll like it!” Amber says.

Eula scoffs, “I tried to be discreet but that kamera is indeed a little loud. No problem you too, we can check the shop for a photokopier and make copies tomorrow. Happy?”

“Yes!” Both reply with a grin.

Diona is trailing behind, already starting to fall asleep, so Eula scoops her in her arms for the last meters to their beds. A new place, new friends, and already unforgettable memories have been made. Night falls on the high place overlooking the Savannah plains, and its inhabitants fall into a well deserved slumber.

Chapter Text

“Amber! Amber! Wake up!” A child’s energetic voice wakes the Outrider up, and she opens her eyes to find Diona’s little paw tapping on her face.

“Hmm… morning Diona…”

“C’mon, get up, we’ve got so much to do today!” the little girl says excitedly.

Amber starts to stretch, but Eula’s arm around her prevents her from moving much. She barely remembers having abandoned her own bed during the night to crawl into Eula’s arms, as a force of habit. But her girlfriend is still soundly asleep, her beautiful, relaxed face a sight for sore eyes. Amber brings a finger to her own lips, tacitly asking Diona to stay silent, and the little girl imitates her with a mischievous smile. After some wriggles Amber finally manages to extirpate herself from Eula’s grasp, but instead of letting her sleepy arm rest on the bed, she takes out a Baron Bunny doll (non-explosive version) and puts it in Eula’s embrace in place of herself. Diona giggles at the sight, and Amber gently puts back her blanket over her unaware girlfriend.

“Alright, let’s get refreshed and then we can go!” she whispers, taking Diona’s hand to go to the washroom area. A quick glance at Collei’s bed makes her realize that she is already up, and indeed she finds her little sister already dressed up, and in the middle of applying some make up. A bit too much make up actually.

“Morning Amber! Hi Diona!” she says when Amber and Diona come in.

“Morning Collei! Hmm… sorry to say this, but I think you put too much lipstick there. Do you mind if I give you a hand?” Amber asks after a quick look.

“Oh, uh, sure please. I’m not too used to this yet, it’s a gift I just got from Dad. Thanks…” Collei answers sheepishly, and after a quick wash Amber starts to help her redo her make up.

“Hey, why do you put make up today?” Diona asks, sitting next to them and observing the operation. Collei’s face starts to flush ever so slightly, and she doesn’t know how to answer…

“Well, sometimes we like to put on make up to make ourselves prettier,” Amber finally answers in her place, without turning her head, her eyes focused on Collei.

“But Collei is pretty already?”

“That’s right, Collei is naturally beautiful,” – Collei’s eyes widen at the unexpected passing compliment – “But make up helps us emphasize our features in a way to appear more appealing to other people. For example, when I want to woe Eula, I put more effort in my make up than just basic foundation and weather-proof eyeliner: a good combination can change your look, and feeling good looking can boost your confidence. Of course you need to choose carefully to not appear too obvious and tacky.” She paused, taking a step back. “Look, doesn’t she looks pretty with this light purple lipstick?”

“Yeah, you’re pretty Collei!” Diona replies with a grin. Collei smiles, glad that she has close friends to help her at this time. She does have someone she wants to impress today, after all.

After one last bit of washing, the three girls are ready and come back to the bedroom area to check on Eula, who is starting to wake up and squeezing the doll in her arms.

“Hm… oh, is it morning already?” she says before bringing a hand to her mouth and yawning politely.

“Morning love!” Amber says, adding a little kiss on her forehead.

“Give me a minute, I did say I would bring Diona to explore the place today… the first thing is the petting zoo, right?”

“Yes! You remember, hehe!”

“Then, uh, I am going to see mister Kinich,” Collei says, reciting the excuse she had prepared beforehand, “I remembered that we had a package to deliver to him from miss Xilonen!”

“Oh yeah we did forget about that! Good thinking Collei! Want me to come with?” Amber asks.

“… Sure, if you don’t mind.” She almost says no, but Collei decides that she would be glad to have someone to support her. Amber is not that stupid, she has probably already guessed her hidden intentions.

They both say good bye to Diona and Eula and go their own way towards the center of the Scion of the Canopies which is already starting to bustle with people.

“Mister Kinich! What a coincidence!” Collei calls out. Both she and Amber are approaching the bungee jumping platform that Kinich is manning today. Glad to see him again without having to search for too long, she checks her clothes, straightens her back, puffs out her chest and walks with all the confidence she can muster and her most radiant smile.

“Morning. Slept well?” he replies curtly.

“Uh, yeah! Yeah. Hmm, Mister Kinich actually there is something we forgot to give you yesterday…” She fumbles a bit with her words but she finally goes around to her main excuse and hands him the package that Xilonen has given them a couple days ago. Kinich’s eyes lit up and an incredibly rare smile appears on his face. Collei watches his handsome face with this wonderful smile, and – would you know it? – he starts to blush a little bit.

“Thanks,” he replies simply.

Maybe I do have a chance! Collei thinks, her heart throbbing through her chest. “You’re welcome, hehe!” she adds, her own face becoming redder and redder. Amber observes the valiant effort that Collei is making, but seeing as they both fall silent, she decides to give them a little push.

“By the way, Kinich, we would like to try this ‘bumby jumping’, would you mind helping us?” she says.

“Ah, yes. I am in charge of bungee jumping today, indeed,” he replies, back to his business face. “Do you both want to try? I can give you a discount then.”

“Yeah we do! Right Collei?”

“Yep, I’d really love to try, I heard it’s thrilling!”

“Very well then… but before that one question: you are from Mondstadt, right?” he asks, almost out of the blue.

“Uh, yeah, so what?” Amber replies defensibly. What does that have to do with anything?

“Well then, please hand over your wind gliders for the duration of the activity.”

Amber freezes.

“Wh-what??” The proud Gliding Champion of Mondstadt is instantly outraged, “Over my dead body!”

“You people from Mondstadt are too used to opening your wings when you feel yourselves fall. There is no thrill if you are going to fly. And the wings may become entangled with the ropes, so it can actually become quite dangerous.”

“I-I don’t mind!” Collei replies in turn, diligently bringing out her own pair of wings and putting them in Kinich’s custody.

“Yeah, well I’ll just let you to it and observe from afar!” Amber continues with the same badly acted anger, but she winks at Collei before walking away.

Thanks Amber! Collei thinks, before turning her attention back to Kinich who is returning with a harness and some ropes.

Collei is overly aware of Kinich’s gestures as he helps her put the harness securely around her, and she gasps when he crouches down in front of her to tie her legs to the main elastic rope.

“There, one last check and…” he goes over his checklist quickly in his head, “… and you are ready to go. You can jump at anytime now. I recommend jumping frankly away from the platform for the best experience.”

Collei swallows nervously. Her mind had been very much filled with a desire to appeal to Kinich the whole time, and she only now realizes that she will have to jump into the void below! A quick eye underneath her feet, into the void, and her heart starts to accelerate, but not from her crush this time. She nervously glances around, finding Amber sitting on a nearby platform not too far away, waving her hand and cheering her on.

“Go Collei! Smile for the kamera!”

A quick glance back to look at Kinich, relaxed and arms crossed. He nods, urging her to go ahead.

She takes a long breath and starts to tilt forward… and then she hears a trilling, familiar voice behind her. She barely has the time to look behind to see the little dragon pet, Ajaw, ask Kinich something truly horrifying.

“Hey, hey, Kinich! Why is this rope not attached properly?”

A shiver runs down Collei’s spine as she inevitably continues to fall forward… but there is no way for her to stop now!

She falls

   down

        and

   down

and as she feels the void pulling her she starts to scream at the top of her lungs,

“A
  A
  A
   A
  A
   A
 A
H!”

But her fall slows down, counterbalanced by the elastic rope reaching its maximum extension, and she starts to go up again.

Her panicked shriek stops as she realizes that she is actually safe. Safe-ish, because she falls down again, and screams again, then she goes up, and down, and again.

Her voice bounces and echoes on the walls of the gorge, repeated at each of her bounces from the rope securely binding her legs, many people turning their heads at the especially loud cries.

“Sorry about that.” Kinich says, his hands joined in front of his face in an apologetic gesture towards Collei who is safe but still trembling in Amber’s arms.

“That was so low…” Amber scowls at a box on the floor.

From the box the annoying voice can barely be heard, “Oh come on, that was a fun one! Did you see her face? It was hilar- HEYyyyy!” Kinich kicks the box, throwing the little demon dragon far away from them.

“I am very sorry. I think that’s a prank he got from Mualani, but she usually only does that for harmless activities near the water, not things like bungee jumping. Archons above…” he says as he pinches the brow of his nose in annoyance.

“Oh…” Collei still in Amber’s embrace did hear a new name. “… Who is that? Mualani?” she asks, dread dawning on her.

“She’s my fiancée. A guide at the People of the Springs. You might meet her if you go there next.”

His fiancée.

Amber feels Collei twitch at the revelation, but thankfully she has her back to Kinich so he can’t see her distraught face.

“I’ll take Collei to rest up, she’s still in shock. See you later, Kinich!” Amber says, deciding that staying here is not a good idea for Collei for lots of reasons. They walk away without looking back, leaving Kinich behind to clean up the mess Ajaw made.

Kinich is very ostensibly not happy with what has just happened, and the people walking around take a wide berth around him, sensing the usually phlegmatic man quite a bit on edge. His mood was at an all time high when he finally received the package that he had been waiting for so long. But Ajaw’s prank and the poor girls misadventure as a result of his action had poisoned his mood. Of course he did not make them pay for the activity, but that is the bare minimum. The best course of action is to go see Chief Wayna to find a proper compensation for Ajaw’s mischief after he is done cleaning.

The bungee jumping materials are soon neatly stored in their appropriate places, and Kinich finally has some time to think. The cleaning has helped him cool down his head, but this had made him realize that there is someone he really wants to see now. He’s got the gift after all, so he’s got all the reasons to go as soon as possible, maybe even tomorrow.

Collei is walking silently next to Amber, head down, no expression on her face. Amber is obviously worried, but she will not let her little sister down. Let’s find a place to rest up and maybe have a talk!

They only need to walk a little bit around the main buildings to find a nice little establishment hidden under an overhang with a few other groups of people enjoying a drink in the shade. They first go to the bar to order something to drink.

“Do you have beer or cider?” Amber asks nonchalantly.

“No cider anymore, we’re waiting for a new shipment, but we’ve got this local beer if you want to try, quite refreshing,” the bartender replies, quickly identifying them as outlanders and adapting his suggestion.

“Sounds good! One pint for me then! Collei, what do you want? Orange juice? Chocolate?”

“… can I get a beer too?”

Amber looks at Collei’s eyes. She is still technically a minor in Sumeru… although in Mondstadt she would be allowed to drink already. And she is so close to her coming of age…

“Sure, two pints then, please!”

They also order a few snacks, pay and go to find a place to settle down.

The table they find is a bit isolated from the other customers’, and most importantly not too close to the edge of the platform. As soon as they put their cups on the table and sit down, Collei downs half her pint in one go.

“Ughhhh… so bitter!” She complains with a grimace.

“Ooh calm down there, you’re not used to drinking that fast, have some snacks with it!” Amber says. You’re not used to drinking at all, she thinks, but she prefers to stay quiet and wait for Collei to settle down.

After a minute, she decides to start, choosing her most tender voice to address her little distraught sister.

“How are you feeling?”

“…”

“It’s fine, you know. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to talk about it. But if you do, I’ll listen. No judgment.”

“…you won’t mock me?”

“No.”

Collei sighs, but soon enough she works up the courage to open her heart a little bit to the one person she trusts the most in the world.

“… I’m sure you saw it. My dumb little crush.”

“It’s not dumb. It happens to everyone your age, it’s not your fault.”

“I guess you’re right. I just… I didn’t realize he has a fiancée.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Hmph… Nah I’m fine. I’ll g-g-get over him real quick, you’ll see!” Collei says gulping down another mouthful of beer.

“I know you will. But you don’t have to put on a brave face, it might take some time for you to move on. And that’s OK,” Amber says squeezing Collei’s hand encouragingly.

“…” Collei sniffles and looks down at her now empty cup. “I… I really thought I had finally f-found someone I could… fall in love with and… and… he never looked my way once anyway, I should have known. And…”

Amber pats her little sister’s back, listening in silence at she pours out her injured little heart. She talks without a break for a good ten minutes, until she falls silent and nibbles their last snack.

“It might take a while,” Amber whispers back, “but I am sure you will find someone for you, Collei. You are brave, kind, smart, and beautiful. You deserve it.” She squeezes the young woman’s shoulder, letting her know she is here to support her, and before long they share a long, warm hug.

“Thanks, Amber.”

Collei still has a knot in her throat, but somehow she feels a bit lighter already.

“By the way…” she says, “that beer thing tastes horrible! How can you drink that regularly?!”

“Ahaha! It’s kind of an acquired taste! I think I still prefer Mondstadt’s brews though, they tend to be a bit sweeter. That being said, I’m sure you know you don’t have to drink to be a proper adult.”

“That’s right! Drinking is the worst!” Diona’s loud, angry voice makes them both jump.

“What are you doing here, you two?!” Eula adds with an even angrier voice right behind them, her eyes on the empty cups in front of the two girls. “Amber, did you let Collei drink… alcohol?”

Eula’s icy stare freezes Amber on the spot, and Collei keeps her eyes glued to the table, not daring to move.

“Oopsy?” Amber whimpers.

Chapter Text

Back to Eula and Diona when Amber and Collei went away in the morning…

Within a few minutes Eula is up and dressed up, urged by the constant nagging of Diona. Still a bit sleepy she lets herself get pulled by Diona’s little hands towards the goal of this morning: the petting zoo!

The place is easy enough to find: all they have to do is follow the colorful signs that Diona spots excitedly along the path. The zoo itself is a small fenced space on a separate platform protected from direct sunlight by a large overhanging cloth to the colors of the clan. When they arrive they find a small booth at the entrance manned by a young girl named Aclla, who turns out to be a vet apprentice. They learn from her that the zoo is mostly a rescue shelter, and the animals are hopefully going to get released when they get better. She asks for a small fee and hands them a bucket of various vegetables to feed to the animals, which they can refill free of charge as long as they respect the rules of the zoo which really boils down to: be considerate to the animals.

Eula and Diona stop in front of a map on a wood board to identify the animals they can visit. The space is clearly divided into two main areas: one for the saurians, and one for the normal animals, mostly small critters like flying squirrels, boars, birds, deer, and a few lizards-looking animals. Obviously no bigger beasts like long-necked rhinos since no wooden platform would be able to sustain their weight, even if they were babies!

“Flying squirrels like… carrots,” Diona reads at the foot of a small tree where a couple of nests can be found at eye-level. She rummages through her bucket, picks up one carrot and brings it close to the alcove in the trunk, and then she waits expectantly. After a few seconds two young squirrels peek out of their refuge, sniff around, before climbing out and confidently jumping on Diona’s outstretched arms.

“Ah!” she squeaks, taken by surprise, but the little ones are just standing on her forearms and start to nibble at the carrot that she thankfully hasn’t let go of.

“Eula, feed them one too!” As soon as Eula takes the carrot from the bucket resting on the ground, one of the two baby squirrels jump on her and starts nibbling at the vegetable in her hand.

“Oh, very cute,” Eula says, unable to contain her contentment. Some small, cute, fluffy, flying little thing who likes to eat carrots? She smirks at the obvious direction her heart went, but sadly Amber is not here to tease. And she is the one who took the kamera to go bungee jumping with Collei, so she will have to just record this sight in her heart.

The little kits are not fierce, obviously used to visitors, and they let themselves be petted to the unbridled happiness of Diona who is already enjoying herself quite a lot.

They continue moving along in the animal space, wooden floor creaking under their feet, feeding the beasts as they go and earning enough trust for a few strokes on their fur or feathers.

“Say Diona,” Eula starts to ask, “I was wondering: you seemed awfully keen on hunting on our way here. And yet you are quite well behaved right now even with all these animals. Why is that?”

“Oh.” The little cat girl in the middle of stroking the head of a fawn stops to ponder for a bit. “I think it’s because they are, uh… domesticated? I like to hunt because I like the thrill of tracking my prey. There is no point in hunting something that’s already there and doesn’t fight back.”

Eula nods, apparently satisfied with this answer. How very cat-like of her, she thinks.

After touring the animal part for a good half an hour, they finally arrive at the saurian area and are greeted by some familiar reptiles: tepetlisaurs and yumkasaurs, and some other not so familiar, all mostly whelps or younger, with a few adults to take care of them. However Diona’s attention is immediately directed towards two other visitors: one of them is a little child wearing a large hoodie, holding the hand of a man of small stature and wearing a kind of Sumerian garb and a noticeably large hat.

“Eula, it’s the kid from yesterday! Can I go talk to him?”

“Alright, but be polite and don’t overwhelm him.”

With the permission Diona quickly scurries towards the cuqusaurs enclosure in front of which the two strangers are standing.

“Hello! I’m Diona! Wanna play with me? We can feed the saurians together!” without hesitation and barely a greeting, she is already on them.

The hooded child turns around and looks at her with sparkles in his eyes, obviously thrilled by the idea.

“Hey, hey, can I play with her, Wan-”

“I told you to call me ‘Icarus’ during our travels, Durin.” The man dryly cuts the little one’s question, but the child is not deterred in the least.

“Hehe, OK Icarus! So, can I? Can I?”

Diona looks up at the man who she thinks might be his parent, trying to judge his character. She has seen a fair deal of people when working as a barmaid in Mondstadt, so she can usually read what kind of person they are with a quick glance. But this person has no expression on his face, which is so similar to a doll’s that it becomes uncanny: smooth, fair skinned, dark short hair. Only his annoyed voice really gives any kind of feedback on his mood apart from some subtle eye movements, and he doesn’t sound happy at all.

“Greetings, sir,” Eula intervenes, “My name is Eula. I am sorry for the interruption, Diona here wanted to play with some children of her age, would you mind if they played together for a little while?”

“Tsk.”

Eula flinches at the apparently unprovoked display of hostility from the man. She may be used to condescending stares or straight up insults back in Mondstadt, but along her travels people had been refreshingly friendly to her, so the disdain the man in front of her displays feels a new kind of affront that she rarely encounters.

“Is something wrong, dear Sir?” She tries to remain polite, but her patience is already starting to wear thin.

“Ugh do what you want, geez.”

“Oh I am sorry if we came at an inopportune time, we can go our own way if you prefer.”

“That’s not–” he stops, startled by Durin’s sad little face looking up at him. “– it’s… it’s not a bad time. Agh, for fucks sake.”

“Oh my! Language!” Eula shouts with her eyes wide and her hands quickly covering Diona’s ears. The little cat girl imitates her and covers Durin’s own ears on his hoodie, making both children giggle.

“Oh come on, don’t be a stuck up bitch, do you have a stick in your butt or something?”

“I… !! How can you be so vulgar in front of children?! Are you not ashamed of yourself?”

Heat is starting to rise and the two start to bicker in the middle of the alley, arguing back and forth about “proper children eduction” and “minding one’s own business”, with a few “heaven midget” and “skin-tight whore” sprinkled here and there.

Meanwhile Diona and Durin observe the two adults duke it out with their verbal spar, but they soon become uninterested.

“So you’re ‘During’, right? Wanna go over there? I haven’t see those saurians yet.”

“Sure! Lets go!”

And without the adults realizing it, the two children go their own merry way to enjoy the rest of the zoo, unbothered by the inconsequential dispute.

After a few minutes of sterile verbal joust which garnered the amused attention of a few visitors, some even starting to make bets on the outcome, both Eula and the man calling himself Icarus stop at once, feeling that something is amiss. With a dreadful shiver of realization, they look around in horror: the children are gone!

“Fuck! Where are they?”

“Unconceivable! I need to find them!”

The two stare into each other’s eyes for a second, gauging their current situation.

“Truce?”

“Truce. Let’s go find them promptly.”

“Wow, you’re both from Montat?”

Not too far from there a few children of the tribe are huddled around, sitting on the hay covered floor of a tatankasaur nest wide enough to shelter them all. They crowd around Diona and Durin, both in the process of recounting their own journeys.

“That’s right!” says Diona puffing her chest out with pride. “I’ve been in Liyue, then Sumeru, and now Natlan!”

“Is it true that there is a dragon in Montat that spits wind and tornadoes, and when it sneezes it makes storms?”

“Yeah! That’s Dvalin, he’s my friend!” Durin replies with a beaming smile.

“You’re friends with Dvalin?!” Diona asks incredulously, joining the other children in bewilderment.

“Yeah? He’s a bit grumpy but he’s very kind to me!”

“Woooow!” All the other children are in awe, excited by their impromptu guests’ stories.

“Do all people in Montat have cat ears or horns like you two?”

“Nah. I’m a special race called Katzlein, just like my Dad and my Great-great-great-great-granddad who lives with us. I’m not sure about Durin though,” Diona replies, turning her head towards her new friend.

“It’s because I’m a dragon!”

“Woooow! Really? A real one?” the group shouts with excitement.

“Yeah! Ah… but don’t say it out loud, it’s supposed to be a secret!” He puts back his hoodie to hide his black and gold horns, the only detail distinguishing him from other normal children apart from his red eyes. “I’m disguised as a human to travel around Teyvat with my best friend, Icarus!”

“I want to go travel around the world with my saurian buddy too!”

“Yeah, Mom said that we can go everywhere now that the war is over!”

“I want to go to Fontaine!”

“I want to go to Inazoma!”

“I want to go to the bathroom.”

The group of children keeps chatting away all carefree, forgetting the time and planning grand journeys across Teyvat.

“There. You. Are.” A sinister voice descends upon them from above, and after dreadfully lifting their heads they see a small man shining in gree floating high above their hiding place with a menacing look.

“Everyone for themselves!” As one all the children of the Scion of the Canopy spread out in all directions, dodging and snaking around the nest’s walls to escape the monster that suddenly appeared.

“Hi Icarus!” Durin says, undisturbed and happy to see his friend join him.

Diona on the other hand keeps her ears stuck against her head, unsure of what this person is doing flying so menacingly above them.

“Diona! Are you in here?! Come out at once!”

The cat girl’s ears perk back up: it’s Eula!

It’s Eula’s angry voice.

Oops.

She carefully crawls out of the big nest, and ends up just in front of her guardian with hands on her waist and an icy glare.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was when you disappeared on me, young lady?”

“I’m sorry…” Diona replies, shrinking into a little ball by the second.

“You need to promise me that you won’t run away without at least telling someone where you are going. Understood?”

“Yeah…”

“Alright. Listen I am not really angry at you, just worried about your safety. I am sure you understand. I promised your parents that I would protect you like my own child, and I do not intend to go back on my word.”

“I’m sorry, I was just happy to find friends to play with… I should’ve told you. But you were fighting with that man over there, so I didn’t want to interrupt!” She points her finger at Icarus floating down with Durin in his arms. The other child also seems to be in the middle of a lecture, judging by his tearful eyes.

“That’s… You’re right, I am partly at fault here, I let my anger get the best of me. I will need to do better.”

“Well then Sir Icarus, I apologize for my short temper, I am glad we could work together to find our children in time.” Eula is the first to try and reconcile with the man she fought just minutes prior. Their temporary teamwork and his obvious concern for his child has shown her that he is not a bad man deep down. She remembers how Amber had taught her how to diffuse certain situations that her harsh words could put her into, the first measure being to give some ground and apologize.

“Hmph… Alright I was too quick to judge, you found their tracks very quickly. Sorry too, I guess.” Icarus is also apologizing reluctantly, which is a rare sight as well. After all, his own adopted mother figure had to ingrain numerous lessons about positive human interactions before she had allowed him to travel.

Sir Icarus, he repeats in his head. It’s nice to have someone give me a bit of respect. I guess she’s not that bad.

“Eula, Eula, can we eat together at lunch today?” Diona asks now that all hostilities seem to have been dispersed, emphasizing her plea by giving her new friend a cute hug and looking up at Eula with her big, pleading eyes.

“I guess I would not mind,” Eula says after a cough. Truly, Diona has mastered the art of pulling at her heart strings by now. “What say you Sir Icarus?”

“I… fine, Durin seems very happy right now so yeah, let’s do that.”

“Wonderful. We have some other friends with us, and we also need to find Sir Kazuha since we promised to have lunch with him today as well.”

“Oh, Kazuha? The storyteller from yesterday?” Icarus’s interest is suddenly piqued and his frown disappears, “I don’t usually care about stories, but I did like how he fought and won against the Raiden Shogun herself. I’d like to meet him actually, hehe.”

“Then it’s a deal. Diona, let us go and find the others and we will reconvene at the restaurant. How does that sound to you, Sir Icarus?”

“Fine. Thanks.” He curtly agrees, and surprisingly Diona feels a hint of relief in his answer. Maybe he’s not as grumpy as he looks?

Eula and Diona go back on their steps to find Amber and Collei who they think are doing bungee jumping, when the cat girl suddenly pulls at her sleeve: she points at the two other girls drinking in a tavern instead.

In a tavern?

“Amber, did you let Collei drink… alcohol?”

“Oopsie?” Amber whimpers. She manages to avoid mentioning the reason she had bought Collei’s drink, and Collei silently thanks her for her sacrifices as the Outrider is promptly dragged away by her girlfriend for a “talk”.

“Collei! You shouldn’t drink, you know? It’s a bad, very bad habit! If you continue you will become dumb just like Daddy!” Diona says, gripping Collei’s arm in desperation.

“Oh, Diona, I’m sorry, I just… I just had a bad day, so I thought it’d help.”

“You’re not feeling good?” the little girl gasped, “Do you need to see a doctor?”

“No, I just need some time to process some things. I’m alright, really.”

“Hmm… ” Diona stares intently at Collei who tries to hide the fact that she has been crying, but her puffy eyes are still a dead give-away that the sharp eyed cat girl can not miss. “OK, just for today, I give you permission to pet my tail.”

“Uh?”

“It’s not something anyone is allowed to do, OK? I’m doing this just for you, just for today. Here, go ahead.” Diona jumps on Collei’s lap, takes her hand and brings it to grab her fluffy tail carefully. Collei starts to pet it absentmindedly, and before long she starts to smile and relax, surprised by the soothing effect of such a simple act. Diona keeps her in check, but she also starts to relax in Collei’s warm arms, even allowing herself to purr just a little bit.

“Thanks, Diona.”

“Hmph, that’s nothing.”

A few minutes pass before the other two finally come back, looking a bit tense.

“Alright, let’s go to lunch, shall we?” says Eula once they reach the table. Surprisingly, she doesn’t try to lecture Collei about her drinking alcohol, which is a relief for her, though she doesn’t understand how she managed to avoid the lesson from the strict woman. She sends a quick inquisitive look towards Amber, who winks back at her with a smile and her finger in front of her lips, as though to say: don’t worry about it!

Still uncertain how she managed to divert Eula’s wrath, Collei decides to keep her mouth shut and follows the group on their way to the restaurant, pulled by Diona’s little hand.

Chapter Text

On a large platform exposed to the glorious sun of Natlan sits the main restaurant of the Scions of the Canopy. Newly established due to the influx of tourists after the pacification of the country, it is furnished with large wooden tables all protected from the sun by colorful floating cloths, and the group settles at a round one with enough chairs to sit all seven people.

“Come here guys, that one looks good for us!” Amber says waving energetically at the people of her eclectic group.

“Thank you, Amber,” Eula says as she sit down on the chair that her girlfriend attentively pulled for her.

Collei herself sits next to Eula with Diona at her side, who finally lets go of her hand.

Obviously Durin jumps on his seat next to his new little friend, and his guardian, Icarus, takes the seat next to him.

Kazuha, always politely waiting for the last guest to settle down, takes the last place between Icarus and Amber. An old friend and a new friend perhaps? A nice position to be in, no doubt.

They all start to chat loudly, and the waiter takes it as a cue to come and give them the menus and take their drinks orders, following a very Fontainian style of waiting no doubt because of the influx of tourists from that close country. That being said not even Eula takes any alcoholic drink this time, surely not a good time after the incident with Collei and Amber, and most of them end up asking for some juice from local fruits.

“Do you have meals suitable for children?” Eula asks menu in hand.

“Indeed, please look at the Saurian’s Friends on the second page: it includes children portions of various delicious dishes from the region at an affordable price. A very good way to open their taste buds’ horizon!”

Icarus immediately opens his menu at the indicated page and peers at it with a serious frown. “OK, looks like there’s enough meat in there,” he mumbles.

“Diona, is that OK with you?” Eula asks.

“Uh? Uh yeah?” Diona replies, obviously distracted. She is already lost in conversation with Durin, talking about exchanging addresses to write each other letters, and so she hardly heard what she was just asked. Eula will have to just choose for her this time again.

“We can take two children’s menus then. Does that suit you, Sir Icarus?”

“Yeah.”

“As for me…” she continues, listing a few of the most expensive looking dishes. “Oh, and Collei ?Amber? Take what you want: I’ll be paying for your meals today.”

“Thanks Chérie! Ehehe, let’s see what kind of roasted meat they have on the menu!” Amber says already drooling from the side of her mouth, and her eyes zoom in on a particularly appetizing dish called Sur, Turf, and Perch.

“Amber, take some vegetables too!” Collei shouts behind Eula, “Uh. Maybe we should order some veggie side dishes in case Amber only chooses meat things again.”

“If I may, Miss,” the waiter interjects politely, “All our meat dishes have a generous side of vegetables included, just look at the small prints below each item for the details. Of course you can ask for more as a supplement.”

“Thank you sir!” She squints to decipher the menu slowly. “Then I’ll take this…”

On the other side of the table, Kazuha chooses a simple grainfruit meat soup and hands over his menu. He tilts his head at his neighbor, Icarus, who gives back his menu to the waiter without ordering anything else than Durin’s meal.

“Are you not eating anything, Sir Icarus?”

“Uh? No, I don’t need to eat.” He responds with a jolt, a bit surprised by the smooth, calming voice of Kazuha at his side. “Don’t worry about me… Kazuha, is it?”

“That’s what my friends call me, yes. By all means, don’t mind the formalities,” Kazuha replies with his signature relaxed smile.

Icarus is surprised by the gentle man next to him and his minimal yet deliberate, flowy gestures. With a side glance he observes him in more detail, until his eyes fall on the vision on his scarf.

“You have an anemo vision too?” he blurts out.

“Indeed. A gift from the gods, I suppose, though I can hardly be called a devotee… Oh, per chance do you have an anemo vision as well, Sir Icarus?”

“… Icarus is fine. And yes. It’s a long story, but let’s say it’s a testament to my new life,” Icarus says, absentmindedly turning his head towards Durin to check on him, before returning his focus to Kazuha, who continues.

“There is a saying that receiving an anemo vision is a sign of hope for people whose past is full of loss. If you are in such a situation, I can only hope that you can move forward and flourish in your new life.”

“Thanks. I… appreciate that,” Icarus says turning his head away in a gesture that one would almost think is embarrassment if it wasn’t so out of character. “Anyway, Kazuha, about your storytelling yesterday…” he changes the subject and Kazuha takes the hint to not dig any deeper. They start to chat away more freely, waiting for the dishes to arrive.

The plates come after a few minutes, and all the guests hungrily dig into their wonderfully smelling dishes.

“So, you’re ‘Durin’ and you say you’re from Mondstadt, uh?” says Amber mouth half-full of delicious food. “That name sounds familiar, but I don’t remember seeing you back home. I thought I knew all the kids in Mondstadt…”

“Amber dear, don’t speak with your mouth full, be a good example for the children,” Eula tells her with a light elbow tap to her side.

Amber swallows quickly, “Ah! I know, it’s the name of that dragon that is said to sleep in Dragonspine! Or something like that. Guess your parents really like that story, uh?”

“Right,” Icarus interjects before they pry further, “And due to circumstances, I am now his legal guardian and he is living in Sumeru with me.” He pets Durin’s head and discreetly makes sure that his hoodie stays securely on his head; now is not the time to show his horns to all these friendly but nosy people.

“Ah!” Collei suddenly shouts, and everyone turns their head towards her. She blushes from the sudden attention. “Uh, hehe, sorry about that… but I think I know you! You’re “Hat Guy”, right? From the Vahumana Darshan?”

“Hmph… wait, you…” he squints his eyes at her, “I’ve seen you before… Aren’t you the Mahamatra’s adopted daughter? Don’t tell me he’s here too?”

“Yeah, but no? I’m Collei, and Cyno is my Dad. But he didn’t come with us, I’m here on vacation with my friends!” she looks at Diona at her side, then gives a little hug to Eula’s arm, and Amber behind her shows a v sign with her fingers, unable to talk with her mouth full.

“That’s a relief. Or… wait, please don’t tell me that you’re a TCG fanatic too?” he says with a hint of terror in his voice.

“Oh please, no! I play a bit but I’m not very good so I prefer to watch. That’s why I always like it when Uncle Sethos visits, then they would play together and I can relax with Mast… with Papa.” Collei says too invested in blabbering to touch her food. She keeps chatting, obviously happy to talk about her family back in Sumeru.

“Hm? Oh so you finally caved with the name, eh?” Amber interjects, unashamedly digging into her second plate.

“Yeah, now that the adoption is official, he said I’m not allowed to call him ‘Master Tighnari’ outside of work. Of course I’m still getting used to it, hehe!”

“The Mahamatra and that Tighnarian dude are both your parents?! Pfft, good luck with that!” Icarus rolls his eyes with a chuckle.

“Thanks!” Collei replies happily, completely missing the sarcasm in his tone of voice. “Dad said that he much prefers treating me like family than like a Collei-gue!”

She freezes for a second… Thinking about her Dad has made her blurt out an involuntary, terrible pun! She starts to blush from embarrassment after hearing Amber snorting and Eula coughing.

”Um, what about you, Sir Icarus? Do you have a family back in Sumeru?” She says trying to divert the attention to their new friend.

“I don’t. I do have a guardian of sort, but family? Yeah right.” he says with a smirk.

“You have a guardian? Did I mistake you for an adult?” Eula asks with surprise, “I knew you were small but I didn’t realize I was arguing with a ch–”

“I’m older than anyone on this table, OK? You better address me with respect,” he cuts her short, hurt in his pride.

“Icarus… we’re not family?” Durin by his side suddenly asks with a serious face, a piece of meat stuck on his fork hanging in front of his face.

“What… I mean we’re friends, isn’t that enough?”

“Yeah… but we can be family too, right? That’s what Mama Nahida told me.”

“What did she teach you behind my back again? Ugh never mind, we’re family or whatever, happy?”

“Yeah!” Durin replies with a big grin on his face, before coming back to stuffing his face.

“Hey, hey, Mister Icarus?” now it’s Diona who wants Icarus’s attention.

“What now?” he replies, looking more and more exasperated at the flow of questions.

“Do you drink? Alcohol, I mean?”

“No? I never drink.” His response actually encompasses all liquids, but Diona surely doesn’t catch the nuance.

“OK, good! Hear that Durin? I think you’re in good hands!” Diona immediately turns away to talk to her new friend and resume eating her own plate.

“What was that about?” Icarus mumbles, but he feels relieved now that the attention has finally moved away from him.

All these questions about family – in particular found families – leave him deep in thought.

“So Amber, where do you plan to go next?” Kazuha asks after finishing his plate.

“We’re going to the People of the Springs!” she replies enthusiastically with sparkles in her eyes and her second dessert on her plate.

“Ah yes, we arrived there with Xinyan, since they built a new port there. We actually spent quite a while there since she liked the atmosphere so much. In particular the music is quite different than what she is used to play very light and free spirited, so of course she had to go and learn from the locals.” He chuckles with smiling eyes.

“I’m most looking forwards to the beach and the hot springs! I mean it’s not like we can’t swim in the sea or Cider Lake in Mondstadt, but it’s so cold that not a lot of people want to dip in.”

“I don’t mind myself, the water there is quite alright,” Eula says jumping in the conversation after cleaning the side of her mouth with her napkin.

“You don’t even mind bathing in freezing water, Eula! If I didn’t like you so much I don’t think I would ever follow you to take an ice bath in Dragonspine.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you don’t like it when we get out of the water and warm up next to the fire?”

“Hehe, yes that’s my favorite part!” Amber adds with a warm smile, before turning her head back to their guest. “Anyway Kazuha, did you try the hot springs over when you were there?”

“Of course, both Xinyan and I greatly enjoyed it. I am sure you will as well,” he replies before taking a sip of his juice. “I have to admit though that I did not follow Xinyan to the ‘real’ springs, the heat there was too much for me.”

“Oh that sounds right up my alley! By the way where do you plan to go next? Are you going to meet Xinyan back to the Children of Echoes?”

“Not quite, we agreed to meet near a waterfall at the other side of the valley tomorrow. We saw a giant tree which served as a great point of reference not too far from there,” Kazuha says. “What about you, Sir Icarus? What is your next destination with little Durin?”

“The Children of Echoes. Durin has been pestering me to go there since the cat girl keeps talking about it.”

“What do you say we journey together for a while then? We would part half ways, but having a traveling companion is always a nice thing, especially someone as well versed in ancient literature as you.”

“Uh.” Icarus ponders for a while. For once he has met someone who does not irk him immediately. He recounts a certain someone telling him that travels were not just about walking around places, it was also to meet people and make friends. He then looks at his side towards Durin who is happily chatting with his new friend.

“Sure,” he replies finally. “Tomorrow morning then?”

“Very well,” Kazuha replies with a smile.

Lunch passes quickly, and after paying the group continues to sit at the table to talk about their schedule for the rest of the day.

“I’ll go to the suspended nets with Durin. I heard it’s a great activity for children,” Icarus says, then he stops, unsure how to continue, his eyes wavering next to Durin and Diona.

“Oh… can I come with you with Diona?” Collei asks, catching his intent and dispelling the awkward pause. To confirm she turns to the little girl who nods vehemently.

“Good. Happy Durin?”

“Yeah! Let’s go Diona!” Without waiting the little dragon boy takes her hand and starts running away.

“Hey, slow down! Oh well, Amber, Eula, I’ll see you later!” Collei says in panic before running after the children with Icarus on her heels, but he doesn’t seem to be much in a hurry.

“OK, see you later, Collei! Oh, and we’re going rock climbing near the big waterfall! Meet us there when you’re done!”

But Collei is already too far to respond, so she just raises her hand with a thumb up above her head before disappearing behind behind a wooden building.

“What about you, Kazuha? What are doing today? You’re only leaving tomorrow, yes?” Amber asks to their only remaining guest.

“Indeed, but I promised some people of the tribe to meet to exchange stories and poems, so I’m afraid I will have to go on my way,” he replies.

“Oh… then let’s say good bye for now, in case we don’t see you again before you leave!” Amber says opening her arms wide to offer him a gentle hug.

“Fair travels, Sir Kazuha,” Eula adds, giving him a polite, more awkward embrace.

“Hopefully we’ll see you at the stadium for the festival! Oh, and say hi to Xinyan from us!” Amber keeps dragging the good bye but after a few last exchanges both Amber and Eula are the only ones remaining at the entrance of the restaurant. For a minute they don’t say anything, enjoying the relative silence after their long noisy lunch.

Suddenly Amber throws herself into Eula’s arms and rubs her cheeks against her chest.

“Eulaaa?” She looks up expectantly.

“Tsk,” her girlfriend replies before bending down, cupping Amber’s cheeks in her hands and kissing her. “Always so needy, my little bunny.” She pinches Amber’s nose who cannot help but laugh at the tender gesture.

“Hehe! Sooo… did you see how cute Diona and Durin are when they play together?”

“Yes, they are. …What is your point?”

“Well… don’t you want a little one like that? A child of our own?”

“I… I will consider it when we get settled down,” Eula turns her head away with a little blush.

“So is it a yes?”

“It’s not a no.”

“Good enough for me!” Amber concludes, squeezing her arms more strongly around her lover.

A few people pass them by, discreetly stealing glances at the couple in their cute embrace. They might be officially together, and Eula do love these improvised displays of affection, but she still feels quite shy to be seen in such an intimate position in public, so she just coughs and separates herself from Amber, who whines meekly.

“Hem, anyway… rock climbing, is it?”

“Ah, yes! I heard they have a lot of different routes, let’s see how difficult it can get! I might be able to do better than you today!” Amber says, her competitive spirit peeked.

The afternoon passes very quickly, and the group of four regroups for a mid-day snack.

“Amber, what are those pictures that you took?” Eula asks with a frown.

“What? You look very cool in those shots when you climb!”

“Amber, half of those pictures are of my behind.”

“It’s for my private collection.”

“Pfft sounds like you had fun today you too!” Collei says munching a biscuit next to Diona.

“How was the net play?” Amber asks, slipping her pictures away in her bag.

“It was so fun!” Diona replies, spitting crumbs all over. “It was very springy, so we kept flying up very high every time we jumped!”

“Icarus took some pictures and I made copies, look,” Collei says while showing a handful of photos to Amber and Eula who look at them with a smile.

“Perfect, you both look very good in those,” says Eula.

“Hey, we should take a group picture!” Amber adds with a jolt, ‘Let’s find someone to help!”

“Hello there, enjoying your stay?” a man’s voice calls from behind. It’s Kinich! They turn around to find him waving at them with his usual nonchalant expression. With a suspicious look Eula checks around for his diabolical side-kick.

“If you are looking for Ajaw, he’s in solitary confinement,” he says replying to Eula’s implicit interrogation.

“Oh, like Klee?” Diona asks while cocking her head.

“Ahaha she does like pranks as well!” Amber says with a fond smile, “Wait, imagine if she and Ajaw met!”

Eula shivers, “Please don’t joke about this Amber, at least we can still teach Klee to behave, but I am unsure about that… thing,” she says with a grimace.

“Don’t worry, he won’t come out before a few days, you have my word. Anyway, speaking of, I have come to talk about a possible way to repay you for the… disagreement that happened this morning.” He turns his eyes to Collei, but finds her hiding behind Amber. She is obviously still either shy or embarrassed in front of him, but thankfully he doesn’t pry. “I talked with Chef Wayna and if you are still planning to go to the People of the Source after this, I can offer to lead you there personally since I have to go the same location myself.”

“Oh? How long would the trip take?” Eula asks back to her leader role.

“One hour at most. If we leave in the next hour, we will be there before sunset.”

“Wait we can get there today? But I heard it takes half a day to walk all the way from here! Do you have a super special shortcut of something?” Amber asks bewildered.

“That is because we are not going there on foot. We are going there riding Yumkasaurs. Jumping over the mountains and down is an easy feat for them, as long as you know how to guide them properly, which I am an expert of.”

The four ladies freeze.

Eula is gauging the danger: Amber will be fine, and she herself should be as well, though being a big muscular woman she wonders if they’ll find a beast that can carry her. Diona may be able to ride with one of them, and Collei? She turns her head to check on the young woman.

Collei is still dealing with her emotions. She just hopes she won’t have to ride with Kinich, she would die of awkwardness. Maybe she can ride by herself?

Diona is already imagining herself riding on a saurian and a big toothy smile appears on her face.

And of course Amber is elated by the idea: a new way to travel through the sky, how could she say no?

Eula decides to take a vote. “Well I think it’s an exciting idea. What do you say everyone?”

One after another the other three nod their heads with varying degree of eagerness.

“That settles it then. Oh, and Sir Kinich, if you wouldn’t mind?” She hands him her kamera. “Would you mind taking a group picture of all us before we go? We almost forgot to take one.”

“Sure thing. Over there is a good spot I think.”

“Alright everyone,” he gets their attention once they are ready, ”Say ‘Yohualtecuhtin’ for me!”

“Yo-yohac-what-ctin?!” None of them manage to repeat the mouthful of a name that Kinich suggested with a smirk, but he successfully captures a cute photo of all of their confused faces, followed by a few where they all laugh and smile at his obvious joke.

One last souvenir, one last look around, a few good byes, and they quickly get ready for the next part of their journey!

Chapter Text

“Yahoooooo!”

Amber screams with delight as she jumps around on a Yumkasaur with Eula’s arms wrapped around her waist, riding behind her on the same beast. They have started from the Scions of the Canopy’s base and have climbed the cliff of the Coatepec Moutain while riding a domesticated Yumkasaur. With a few stop points on platforms strategically placed along the walls, they have quickly jumped all the way to the top of the plateau above.

“Well, it looks like you are having fun, at least,” Eula says. “How are you doing Collei, Diona?”

Just behind her, a decidedly tensed Collei lands with her own mount with a beaming Diona sitting in front of her.

“I’m fine! Just… learning how to balance myself on that little guy. Here, give it a treat, Diona.” She rummages through her bag and passes a carrot to her little partner. The saurian immediately detects the snack and extends its tongue to and grab it in the blink of an eye. “Oh, you’re hungry uh little fellow? Hehe!” They pet its head and are rewarded with a content growl.

Of course Collei would be more interested in the beast than the climb itself. As expected of a forest ranger, Eula thinks to herself with a smile.

“I see you’ve all managed to climb up here with ease,” Kinich says behind them as he lands. As their guide he has climbed behind the group to check how well they could ride, and help anyone that would have had issues, but no accidents happened. A good start to their little journey to the People of the Springs. He, however, has no need for a yumkasaur mount: armed with a single grappling hook he jumps and flies around with impressive agility, a spectacle that brought sparkles in the eyes of the tourist’s group.

“How are the saddles? Comfortable?” he asks without missing a breath, as though he hadn’t just climbed a huge cliff in a matter of seconds.

“I believe mine is a tad rough,” Eula says as she wriggles around to find a more comfortable position, “Probably because the saddle is a bit small for two.”

“Hey, you’re the one who said you wanted to ride tandem with me!” Amber retorts with a smirk, her head looking up and resting on her partner’s bust. “Not that I’m complaining, I’m very comfortable here!”

Eula blushes and coughs, but still gently squeezes Amber in her arms. “Hem, but it should be fine if we don’t ride too far. How long do you say we’ll need to reach the People of the Source?”

“At this rate, one hour should do it,” Kinich replies with a shrug. “As soon as we reach the end of the upper steppes to the South, it’s all downhill from there, down to the sea level. I’ll add a couple of breaks for you to rest and enjoy the scenery though.”

“Thanks Kinich! Collei, Diona, how are you doing?” Amber asks, turning her head towards Diona still giggling in Collei’s arms, as their excited yumkasaur keeps walking around.

“Hm, I’m good,” the cat girl replies excitedly, “Hey Mister Kinich, I heard you were a hunter, so what do you hunt up there?”

“Up here… Mostly birds like Halberd-Crest and Thick-Feathered Ruffed Pheasants. There’s not a lot of other animals that can come and go on top of those high cliffs, or at least not in large enough populations to allow us to hunt them.”

With a silent command from Kinich, the group starts to move forward, walking on the dry grassy field of the high steppes.

“’Halberd-Crest’… Wait I think that’s the name of the bird I caught when we were camping. And now that I think about it I’m pretty sure I’ve had some at lunch too! It was delicious!” Amber says, already drooling at the prospect of a good meal.

“Goodness gracious Amber, with the amount of dishes that you devoured today I am wondering if there is any kind of meat that you haven’t eaten,” Eula admonishes with a frown. “I can feel you ate quite a lot,” she massages Amber’s belly eliciting a little squeal. “I did say that I was paying, but I wasn’t expecting Paimon-levels of Gluttony.”

Kinich turns his head around in surprise. “Oh? You know Paimon? So I assume that you know the Hero of Natlan as well?”

“Ah is that how you call the Traveler here? Interesting, in Mondstadt we call them ‘Honorary Knight’.”

“Yeah, I remember the first time I met them, we were in the middle of the Storm Terror incident!” Amber recounted. “I thought they were suspicious, arriving just when the dragon was wreaking havoc in the City! So I was a bit harsh with them at first. But turns out they were very sweet. I remember how they joked about poor little Paimon being their ‘emergency food’! Hehe!”

“Uh? Oh yeah they did say that too the first time I met them in Sumeru!” Collei says, trailing from behind.

“… and I do remember them telling that same joke the first time we met at the Stadium, now that I think about it,” Kinich adds.

“…” The travelers all look at each other with a wry smile.

“Yeah, must be a running gag between them!” Amber says with a chuckle.

Within a few minutes the group arrives at the Southern edge of the plateau, revealing the open ocean and the most impressive sights of the coasts of Natlan.

“Wow! Are those… floating islands? How does that work?!” Diona asks excitedly.

“These –” Kinich reverts to his guide mode “– are the Hanan Pacha. They are held together by phlogiston and are said to have been a gift from Waxaklahun Ubah Kan to humankind to teach them how to use phlogiston, something reserved to dragonkind until then.”

“Truly impressive,” Eula says with clear wonder in her voice. “We did see a few floating islands when we passed through Liyue, but they were all manmade and held up by a very special kind of rock.”

“Um, Mister Kinich, what is phlogiston?” Collei asks eagerly, notepad in hand.

“It’s an ancient element used throughout Natlan, said to be older than the seven elements themselves.”

Both Diona and Collei look in wonder at the flying islands, giant rock formations that looks like iridescent wax melting away, with pillars climbing from the sea below them.

“Is it possible to get up there?” Eula asks with obvious curiosity.

“Not conventionally. We’ve recently have spirit ways appear – to put it simply, some kind of phlogiston paths – to get up there, but you need a special connection to phlogiston to use them, which only Natlan warriors possess. See those rainbow-like ribbons all around them?”

“I’m sure I could get up there by gliding,” Amber says, squinting to look around and spot a good launching spot.

“Some have tried but they were always way too short,” Kinich replies with a shrug. “You shouldn’t –”

“Nah I’d get there,” Amber cuts him off. “See that column to the West? Starting from there, then using the rising heat from the geyser currents, over there, and there, I could easily get to the lowest island and move up from it. Yep, pretty easy actually.”

“… wait really?” Kinich says, incredulous. Now he looks more serious. “It’s a sacred ground, so if anyone can just glide there it could be an issue.”

“Do not worry Mister Kinich, Amber is an exception, she can glide everywhere. The only place she hasn’t managed to reach is Celestia itself I reckon,” Eula says with a proud look on her face.

“Hey, I haven’t given up yet! I just need to visit Fontaine or Northern Liyue and find a good route! Mark my word, I’ll get there eventually!”

“I’m sure you will, my little bunny,” Eula said with a peck on Amber’s forehead.

“Uh. Assuming you are not just boasting, you might get along pretty well with the people of the Flower-Feather Clan. They love flying, although their cuqusaurs don’t like the climate of the Springs,” Kinich said.

“Really?! To be honest that’s the place I’m looking forward to the most! Hehe!” Amber replies excitedly, jumping in place so much that Eula has to hug her strongly to prevent her girlfriend from accidentally falling down.

“Anyways, which direction are we going next, Mister Kinich?” Eula asked.

“See the largest basalt column that Amber pointed to as a starting point for her glide? Just below it you should see a large tent structure. That’s the People of the Springs. We’re not going there in a straight line though. See those water pools below? Those are natural hot springs with varying degrees of heat. Yumkasaurs are not very good swimmers, and they can’t cope with hot temperatures, so we’re going to take a detour around the right side to join the main road.”

As they make their way down the cliffs, rain starts to fall down, reducing visibility and making their descent more complicated. Everyone puts on a cape to protect them from the falling water, and they let their mounts follow Kinich, who has to jump and grapple without protection from the water. Nevertheless he leads them as though nothing has changed and they find themselves on the road after half an hour.

“Are you alright Mister Kinich?” Eula asks with worry.

“No problem. Rain is pretty normal around the inland hot springs. It gets better near the coast though, so hang on a bit.”

“...Diona, are you ok? You’re trembling, are you cold?” Collei asks when she feels the little girl tremble in her arms.

“I hate rain… I-I’m not scared of water! I just… hate it when my clothes get wet.”

“But you’re protected with your cape right n–”

“It’s alright Diona, we’re almost there, just a few more minutes,” Eula cuts Collei and gives her a little nod. It is actually the first time it has rained on their journey since coming to Sumeru, so Collei has no idea how much Diona hates getting drenched out in the open. In a place without any tree of shelter, even protected by a cape or a tent, she tends to become reserved or grumpy.

Sensing a bit of urgency, Kinich hastens the pace, running on the muddy road just a bit faster.

Before long the rain stops just as he predicted and the road changes from a dirt path to a road carved into the basalt rock, a gray path painted on with rainbow colors. One last turn around a hill, and the sea resort of the People of the Sources appears in front of their eyes, basked in the colors of the setting sun. They all dismount and finish the last stretch on foot, mouths agape as they take in the new sight.

After putting their capes away Eula picks up Diona in her arms. The little girl is still shivering but cannot help herself from looking around at the new place. There are so many people here, mostly natives but also a good number of tourists. The differences between them are obvious: the Natlanese wear very revealing clothes that show a lot of dark or tanned skin, basically swimsuits with a few accessories. The men are mostly bare chest and the women do not mind letting their legs and bellies exposed to the sun. But most importantly, every one of them have colorful geometric tattoos on their skin, in every location possible. Some of the older people have obvious scars as obvious remnants of past battles from the nation of War, and the tattoos they wear, instead of hiding them, seem to highlight those blemishes as a way to display them proudly instead.

The sun is coming down and the path is littered with little lanterns that lit up as they walk by other tourists, families and children en route to their homes or going to some party on the shores.

When they finally arrive on a wooden pier, a woman’s voice resounds from afar.

“Kiniiiiich!”

Clad in a revealing white and blue outfit, a young woman with tanned skin hurries towards them with a beaming smile. However she is not running, but sliding sideways on what appears to be a kind of… shark? Without leaving anyone time to register what happens she jumps and lands in Kinich’s arms with a smacking sound, as their bodies clasp together in a loving embrace.

“Hello Mualani,” he says with a smile as he returns her hug, “I’m back.”

“I missed you!” She says, before kissing him passionately, oblivious to the stunned audience.

“Um, Mualani… I have guests?” Kinich is red in the face, but still manages to separate himself from his lover, albeit with regret.

“Oh?” She appears surprised, and immediately turns her head towards the group of four. “Sorry, sorry!”

Mualani coughs and stand back. “Hello everyone! I’m Mualani, this handsome man’s fiancée! I am the best guide of the People of the Springs, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask! How are you doing? Where did you come from?”

Her enthusiastic welcome makes them all freeze, except for Amber, of course, who takes the lead to present her group.

“Hello Miss Mualani! Thanks for the warm welcome! We’re travelers from Mondstadt and Sumeru, here on vacation! Nice to meet you! Oh, I’m Amber by the way!”

“This gorgeous lady –” she hugs Eula’s arm “– is my soon-to-be-wife, Eula!”

“The little one in her arms is Diona! Say hi, Diona?”

“…Hi.” Diona is still recuperating from her scare but manages to give the most minimal of greetings.

“Last but not least, this is Collei… Uh, Collei?” For an instant Amber cannot find her little sister, but with a cursory glance she realizes that she has been hiding behind Eula from the start. “…Collei?”

“Uh sorry…” She steps out from Eula’s shadow awkwardly. “Hi Miss Mualani! It is very nice to meet you!” She forces a polite smile, but cannot hide her still unsettled state of mind.

She is so beautiful. Confident, quirky? No wonder Mister Kinich fell in love with her. She thinks to herself. She even has… nice shapes, she adds, quick to compare herself to her, a hint of jealousy in her thoughts.

“Did you come straight from the Scions of the Canopy? Kinich, I wasn’t expecting to see you coming here before a few more days, what gives?”

“Some things came up,” he replies with a shrug. After a moment of reflection he continues with a somewhat dire tone. “Actually, Mualani, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

“Oh? Mister Kinich has some serious talk for once? Hehe no worries, let’s meet up at Atea’s Spring after we’ve eaten, alright? I’m sure your guests must be hungry after such a trek!”

“Right on!” Amber answers excitedly, immediately bouncing off Mualani. “Oh, we also need to register to Chief Wayna, and find a place to stay, and…”

“I’ll do that Amber,” Eula interrupts. “Why don’t you all go find a place to eat while I find the Chief with Collei?”

“Oh, uh, sure?” Amber replies, intrigued by the sudden seriousness of Eula’s demand. Without further question she takes Diona in her arms and let Mualani lead them. A little indication from Kinich helps her find the direction to the Chief’s usual location, and they part ways.

“Um, Eula? Why did we split up? We could have all gone together, we’re not that much in a hurry.”

Instead of answering, Eula looks around until she finds a deserted spot on the shore near the pier, with a couple of chairs to sit on. She silently leads Collei to come and sit down with her.

“Collei,” Eula says after a long minute.

“Y-Yeah?” Collei sits up straight. She recognizes that tone of voice, the same Tighnari uses when he prepares to give one of his life lessons. She swallows nervously, waiting for the shoe to drop.

“If you are nervous around Mister Kinich or Miss Mualani, we can politely decline to have dinner with them.”

“Oh…” The tension in Collei’s stomach is replaced by a tinge of pain in her heart.

“I don’t want you to feel bad when we are all supposed to be on vacation.”

“… So you know? Did Amber tell you?”

“No, she did not. She usually doesn’t keep much from me, but when she does… nothing in Teyvat can make her talk. Of course I know she always does it with the best intentions in her heart. So when I asked her what was wrong with you, and she did not answer, I did not pry.”

“Then how?”

“I might not be as close to you as Amber – I can see how you treat each other as preciously as sisters – but I am not blind to the emotions of the members of my group. Collei,” She takes her hands which have gotten cold and gives them a warm squeeze. “I am not trying to replace Amber or trying to dig too much, but I can protect you if you ask me. OK?”

Collei looks back at Eula’s serious eyes with surprise. She knows that Eula is a very compassionate person, despite hiding her own heart behind her icy demeanor. But the fact that she openly offers her help, so seriously… makes her little heart mend a little more.

“Thanks Eula, but I’ll be OK. I’m not used to those feelings and to be honest I felt pretty bad after I learned Mister Kinich had a girlfriend. But… now I think I’ll be OK. I’ll just… learn from it, I guess?” she tries to show a confident front, but cannot help herself from shaking.

“Collei, listen. You are courageous, gentle, intelligent, and pretty. You don’t have to rush, but I am sure you will find a partner that you deserve. And who deserves you, in time.”

Her advice is so similar to what Amber has told her the day before, that Collei burst out in a fit of laughter.

“Wh- Did I say something funny?” Eula replies, taken aback and with a little blush on her face. “I may not be the best with c-comforting words, but I –”

“No, sorry, Eula! I didn’t mean to laugh at you! I’m sorry! It’s just… you sounded like Amber just now. She said something similar.”

“Oh, did I?,” Eula replies with a discreet, proud smile on her face.

“Thanks Eula, that means a lot to me.”

Collei continues to laugh lightly, and somehow she feels truly happy now. Each in their own way, Amber, Diona, and Eula have all expressed their affection and their support for her. Despite everything she has lived through… She is fine now. She has a family waiting for her at home, precious friends to rely on share their love with her. So she doesn’t need a partner yet. At least, maybe not right now. She can wait a bit. It’s not like a man would fall from the sky into her lap, right?

SPLASH

Something heavy falls loudly into the water just in front of them, splashing them and interrupting their private talk in its tracks. With beating hearts they stand up, ready to fight against whatever monster of creature may emerge from the waters.

“Ugh…” A dark shadow emerges from the waves with a growl. “I missed the pier, I hope my vegetables are alright.” It speaks with the calm voice of a man and slowly walks towards the shore where the two ladies stand.

“Stand back, monster!” Eula shouts with her Claymore already out, her whole body shielding Collei.

“Oh?” The creature continues to walk towards the shore, undisturbed. It has the ears of a bat and long dark hair like seaweed. Its purple and blue eyes pierce through the night. And it drags a huge dark bag behind him. “Uh. That’s not a very nice thing to say, you know?” it utters. “Why don’t you put down your weapon before someone gets hurt, granny?”

Chapter Text

“Why don’t you put down your weapon before someone gets hurt, granny?”

“Granny?!” Eula whispers through her teeth, “The gal of this creature to call me such!”

“Wait, Eula! That’s a not a monster, that’s a human!” Collei moves in front to avoid a needless clash.

“Step aside Collei! He is clearly threatening us. Did you not hear what he just said?”

Unbothered by Eula’s open hostility, the unknown man drags himself out of the water and onto the shore, slowed down by his drenched clothes. After a quick and silent introspection, he grabs the hem of his shirt and starts to lift it up.

“W-What are you doing? Such indecent behavior! Collei, avert your eyes!” Eula shouts, thrown off guard by his erratic behavior.

“Calm down, granny, please? I just fell in the water by mistake. It’s not like I’m some kind of monster that drags their unassuming victims into the waves to devour them into the depths of the ocean, right?”

Eula fumes silently and grips her Claymore impatiently, but Collei takes a step forward before she has the time to act.

“Eula let me handle this, please?”

She takes a short step forward and bows her head slightly. “Hello I’m Collei, a Forest Ranger from Sumeru. What’s your name Sir?”

“Ororon. Nice to meet you… miss Collei,” he replies politely after a pause, then slowly drops his hands.

“Do you need help? We heard a huge splash, I hope you didn’t get hurt?” she asks with a gentle smile. Her experience in helping lost strangers in the Forest’s of Sumeru should come in handy here, she hopes.

“I’m fine, thanks. I just missed my landing. I should not have tried to fly down after sunset. My mistake.”

“Oh good!” Collei sighs, happy that the misunderstanding seems to have been solved so quickly.

Just when she begins to relax, Ororon continues what he has started and removes his wet shirt in a swift motion, taking both ladies by surprise. Collei stands still, not missing a second of the impromptu stripping, but her vision becomes obstructed by Eula’s hands after a couple of seconds.

“Don’t strip so suddenly in front of a young lady, you ruffian!” Eula growls.

“Ah, sorry. Do you mind keeping your hands over her eyes then, granny? I need to change out of these wet clothes,” he replies without missing a beat.

“What indignant behavior!” Eula says, but without finding true fault in his action, she chooses to keep her hands over Collei’s eyes and let him change. Collei in the meantime giggles discreetly, amused by Ororon’s strange antics.

“Ororon? What are you doing down there?” Mualani appears on the pier next to their private location, a surprised look on her face.

“Oh, hey Mualani. I just came to deliver some vegetables to that new establishment.”

She looks over the group below before sighing. “Let me guess you had some kind of misunderstanding with the ladies? You’ve got to fix the way you speak, Ororon!”

“People are just too quick to jump to conclusions, that’s all,” he replies with a shrug. Ororon finishes throwing some dry clothes that he took out of his bag, and then stands back up with a shrug. “How do I look?”

“Presentable at last,” Eula says with a frown, slowly removing her hands from Collei’s face.

“And what do you think, miss Collei?” He makes a quick turn around, as though he’d put on some fancy clothes instead of a simple black shirt.

“Pfft, you’re looking fine, Mister Ororon!” she replies with a laugh.

“Mister? Oh you hurt me, I don’t think I’m much older than you, you know! Please, just Ororon if you will.” He bows down in an excessively polite manner.

“Fine, thanks Ororon. Then please call me Collei as well,” she replies meekly.

Eula is still brooding to the side, but she doesn’t want to cut Collei off since she looks to be in a better mood than earlier. She sends a side look to Mualani, who was looking at the exchange with interest. After catching Eula’s eyes, she smiles and stands back up.

“Alright everyone, why don’t we all get back to the hotel? The night is still young, after all! Also, we might as well eat together. My treat!”

“Agreed,” Eula says, “Please, lead the way, Miss Mualani.” She quickly joins her up on the pier.

“Mind if I come with you?” Ororon asks, “I actually haven’t eaten all day, and I still have time for my delivery.”

“Sure, Kinich will be glad to see you,” Mualani replies. “Is it fine with you both?”

“Yeah!” Collei rapid fires before Eula has the time to reply.

“Tell me, Miss Mualani, is that Ororon fellow trustworthy?” Eula asks after a little while. She looks back at Ororon and Collei who are following a few steps behind, lost in what looks like a light conversation.

“Oh, absolutely! He might appear aloof and detached right now, but he is one of Natlan’s Heroes! We fought side by side during the War. You can ask Kinich too if you want.”

“Hmm…”, she ponders silently. “I’m just worried he might be a bad influence on Collei. She is just beginning to get out of her shell, and I wouldn’t want to see her hurt again.”

“In that case, you don’t need to worry. He is probably the most gentle person I know! Oh, there we are!”

The little group finally arrives at the hotel and rejoins with the others.

“Hi everyone, welcome back.” Kinich says. “And, hi Ororon, long time no see.” The two men give each other a quick hug.

Mualani sniffs when Ororon passes her by, and she frowns. “Wait, Ororon, you still smell like the sea, and you’re not completely dry! Come on, go the bathroom and wash up. We can’t have you looking like a wet doggy in front of all our guests!”

“All right, all right. Let me say hi first though?”

He looks at the two other girls, Amber and Diona. The little girl is still a bit cold, so she is sitting on Amber’s lap with a hot cocoa drink, courtesy of Kinich.

“Hi, I’m Amber from Mondstadt, nice to meet you!”

“Diona. Hi.”

“Hello…” he replies with a pause, “Bunny granny and kitty granny.”

Amber laughs at the nickname, but Diona instead frowns and laps her drink angrily.

“Collei, who’s that weird guy?” she asks with caution.

“Come on Diona, Ororon is nice,” Collei pats the little girl’s head to calm her down, but she remains wary.

“OK now that you’re done, shoo, shoo wet bat man!” Mualani pushes him away and Ororon just let’s himself get carried away with a shrug.

“I don’t like him…” Diona whispers to Collei after she sat down next to them.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I am uneasy. He might be too weird to associate with you, Collei,” Eula adds with a node.

“Oh come on, he looks fun!” Amber laughs. “Right Collei?”

“Uh? Ah, yeah!” she replies with a meek smile.

“By the way, Miss Eula?” Kinich interrupts them briefly, “Chief Amina is over there, I think she’s available if you want to ask her about your accommodations?”

Eula thanks him and goes over to talk with the Chief of the People of the Springs.

“Alright everyone, I’ve ordered enough evening snacks for you all, so dig in!” Mualani says excitedly once everyone has finally taken their seat at the table.

“Thanks! Now you’re talking my language!” Amber replies with her mouth already half full of delicious food.

Diona, attracted by the smell of the dishes, has hoped off Amber’s lap to fill her own plate and find an empty seat next to Collei.

After everyone has had their fill, Kinich sends a meaningful glance to Mualani.

“Well, I think that’s it for me for today!” she says suddenly. “I’ve got to get up early for work.” She then turns her head towards Amber. “Don’t hesitate to come see me tomorrow, I’m the best guide you could ever find! And I’ll give you a discount if you want to rent a surfboard!”

“Oh you bet I’ll try that!” Amber replies with a beaming smile and a wink. “Good night Mualani!”

“Ehem.” Kinich clears his throat, gathering the attention of the guests. “I’ll go too, I need to… prepare to go back to the Scions of the Canopy tomorrow.”

“Then have a good night, Mister Kinich,” Eula says. “And thank you for the journey today, it was a wonderful experience.”

“No problem. I’ll find a way to make Ajaw apologize somehow. Ororon, you’re staying a bit more?”

“Yep. I still need to deliver my vegetables.” He stands up and says his good byes. “See you all… Icy, Bunny, Kitty, and Green grannies. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow before I go back home.”

“See ya!” Amber replies energetically, and they all wave him good bye with varying degree of relunctance.

The four tourists end up all by themselves, and they Eula explains their accommodations: Amber and Eula in one room for couples, Collei and Diona in another with separate beds. Finally real, comfy beds to spend the night!

“How are you doing Diona?” Collei asks after a while, seeing her cat little friend nodding off.

“Hm? I’m… eepy…” she replies, her eyes already closing.

“Oh… let’s get to bed then.”

“Oki… doki…”

Collei takes Diona in her arms, and says goodbye to Amber and Eula. The restaurant at the base of the hotel slowly drains until they are the only one remaining.

Amber casually gets out of her seat to sit on Eula’s lap, and they both hug tenderly. “Well that was a long day!” she says, reminiscing about the failed bungee-jumping session, the pet zoo and Diona’s new friend, the lunch with so many guests, the rock climbing, the yumkasaurs ride, and their arrival at the People of the Source. And Collei’s troubles.

“Do you think Collei will be alright?” Amber whispers after a while.

“She looked much better at dinner,” Eula responds. “It’ll still take her some time to work through what’s basically a rejected crush. All we can do is be supportive, and not too pushy.”

“Did she tell you then?”

“She confirmed my suspicions.”

“Hmm…” Amber squeezes her arms around her girlfriends waist, nuzzling at her like a bunny. “What do you think about that new guy? Ororon?”

Eula tenses up. “It’s too early for Collei to… rebound onto someone else. Especially someone so unusual?”

“Oh come on, at least he seemed kind. And Collei didn’t react the same as with Kinich anyways. I just hope she can make some friends while we’re here!”

“That would be lovely. I’ve seen how friendly you’ve become with miss Mualani already.”

“Right?! We started talking about all bunch of stuffs, and turns out she’s very competitive too! She plays so many different sports, some of which I’ve never heard of! Oh, and we should go see her first thing tomorrow, she’s a shopkeeper and a guide, and she’s also one of the best warriors in Natlan! And…”

Amber continues to ramble excitedly in Eula’s arms, who slowly loses herself in her girlfriend’s cute animated face.

“… swimsuits, that a given… Um, Eula? Hello?” Amber interrupts her day dreaming. “Eula chérie, you look a bit tired… Let’s get to bed as well, OK?”

Eula yawns, letting her guard down around her girlfriend has become a habit now. “Very well, let’s… Wait, what are you doing??”

“Hmmph… I’ll carry you to our room!” In a surprising reversal of their usual roles, Amber with her smaller stature tries to lift Eula in her arms, straining under her weight but smiling proudly. She makes a few wobbly steps towards the stairs.

“Amber! You…!” Eula whispers, trying to keep quiet to avoid attracting the gaze of other customers that may cross their path. “Vengeance will be mine for this!”

Chapter Text

Amber is usually the first to wake up naturally before the first lights of the morning sun, but today she is instead woken up by some insistent scratching noise coming from the door. She quickly gets up, careful enough not to accidentally bump Eula out of her usual deep slumber. She opens the door discreetly, and the scratching stops.

“Diona? You’re up already?” she asks with a sleepy voice.

“Come on! Come on! We’re going to the beach today!” Diona tries to whisper but cannot hide her excitement, her tail wagging wildly behind her.

“Sorry Amber, Diona was already a little ball of energy when she woke me up…” Collei appears behind Diona, yawning and stretching, proving that she, too, has just gotten up.

“Then what about… going for an early run while we wait for Eula to join us?” Amber suggests. “What do you say Diona? We’ll go around the town and check out the place to spot where we can go today!”

“Yeah! Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Okay Diona, let’s get changed quickly then. Amber, see you at the reception in a few minutes?”

“Yes, perfect!”

Amber writes a quick note for Eula to inform her of their plans, ending with a drawing of a little bunny holding a heart (which ends up taking way more time than writing the note itself).

The group of three meets up downstairs in more comfortable sport clothes, and they start off with a light jog just as the sun slips out of the horizon and the sky takes a golden hue. Amber makes sure to set a slower pace for Diona’s sake, since she doesn’t run as frequently as Collei or her. They run around the whole city of the People of the Springs which looks very different from the day before, when they could barely see much because of the lack of sunlight. Most the people they cross path with are natives, either already soaking in the hot springs, or sprinting towards the beaches with large surf boards or even musical instruments. After a few minutes they stop when a few steps away they see Kinich and Mualani in a cute embrace near her shop, and before they have time to greet them both, Kinich has already left in the direction of the mountains with Ajaw securely clutched in his hands. They approach Mualani as she waves frenetically at her departing lover.

“Morning Mualani!” Amber says, stopping to a halt with the rest.

“Oh, morning you all! Already running around I see! Did you sleep well?” Mualani replies after recognizing her new guests, and potential clients.

“Yep, pretty good!”

“What about you, little kitty? You looked under the weather yesterday.”

“I’m fine. I’m not so fragile, you know. Today I’m going to the beach!” Diona replies with a proud nod and still breathing heavily from their run.

Collei looks away in the direction where Kinich went. All the better for her, she thinks, now she can let her fleeting sentiments go to rest, or so she hopes, but she still feels a little tinge in her heart. Before she start ruminating too much on her emotions, she turns back to look at Mualani who is of course already chatting away with Amber, and she cannot help but notice one particular difference from yesterday: a lone earring in the shape of a moon on her left ear?

As they continue talking about the place and the activities they could do today, a few people of the tribe pass past them and smile warmly at Mualani, greeting her with “Congratulation!” or “Wayob’s Blessings!”

“What’s all that about? Did something happen?” Amber asks after yet another person congratulates Mualani.

“Ah, sorry, I should’ve told you since you’re not from here! And, I guess it’s pretty new to me as well, hehe! Look, see this earring?”

She points at her left ear, and more precisely at the accessory that Collei already noticed, which indeed she did not have the day before. Her right ear is bare, interestingly.

She continues excitedly, “This is a tradition in Natlan when a couple gets engaged: I exchanged my vows with Kinich just yesterday! We each got a complimentary earring to show people we are promised to one another.” Mualani blushes as she quickly explains the significance of the earring.

The three girls gasp, and soon they add their own congratulations.

“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you! Does that mean you’re getting married?” Amber asks happily, and she cannot stop herself from hugging Mualani who welcomes it with a laugh.

“That’s the plan, hehe! Though it’ll take some time to inform all our friends and family first, so we’re nowhere near fixing a date!”

“So that’s what it was. It’s is so romantic!” Collei whispers with a grin on her face. A pledged love sealed with a pretty token, just like in her romance novels! One day she too will get something like that, she hopes.

“I’d think Kinich would have stayed with you after such an important news. Is he too busy, maybe?” Amber says.

“Oh, don’t worry, that’s how we are. He’s always moving around for his work – he’s very serious when it comes to earning money –, and he did take a couple of days off as soon as he secretly received the earrings from Xilonen!”

Amber and Collei look at each other with the same sparkle in their eyes. Was that possibly the package Xilonen asked them to give to Kinich? Such an important delivery, without them knowing! Deep inside Collei wonders why she would trust them so easily; maybe she can ask her if they meet again. Hopefully at the festival?

After promising to pass by Mualani’s shop later, the three girls continue their round trip. They pass in front of a large beach with long chairs and large umbrellas for tourists to lounge under, although it is still a bit deserted so early in the morning. For a minute they catch their breath near the shore and use the opportunity to look at the immense mountain on an island to the West, and they wonder if it might be as big as Dragonspine! But after further examination they realize they are actually looking at a real life volcano for the first time in their life: the fumes floating above its chimney are a clear sign that it is still active. Amber looks at the peak as though she really wants to climb all the way up. Such a dangerous looking location… Diona and Collei on the contrary would rather avoid going there, so they conspire together to push Amber to continue their jog and forget the idea.

They run again and arrive at the pier around the largest building in the form of a large sea shell opened midway with what looks like a giant stage for performances. The path is already bustling with people of all origins shopping around, and they have to slow down to pass through the crowd. The ambiance is relaxed and festive, and there is already music in the air! With one last sprint back to the hotel, they end their morning jog and go take a quick shower with their heads filled with ambition for the day ahead.

After washing up, they go outside on the terrace in front of the hotel and find Eula sunbathing under a large straw hat and wearing sunglasses.

“How was it?” she asks without turning her head.

“We met Mualani! You’ll never guess the good news she told us!” Amber replies happily after giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Let me guess. Hmm… Based on your reaction, I would wager she is either expecting or she got proposed to.”

“Oh good call! It’s the second one! But how’d you guess that?”

“I saw some interesting signs yesterday,” Eula replies with a shrug.

“Say, Amber, Eula, are you getting married too?” Diona asks, innocently sipping a glass of orange juice next to Collei.

Both women react quite differently at the sudden question. Eula stiffens, and Amber’s eyes start to sparkle.

“Well, um, we’ll see,” Eula replies at a loss for words.

“Oh come on, you’re already acting like a married couple.” Collei rolls her eyes with a smirk.

Eula ponders for a moment then sigh. “I’ll be honest with you: I want to clear out the name of my clan first. If I propose to Amber, I want to give her my family name with pride.”

“You know I wouldn’t mind,” Amber replies, “But that’s why I love you too.” She adds in a whisper: “I’ll wait until you’re ready, Eula chérie. But if you make me wait for too long, I might propose before you do!”

They not so discreetly join their hands together, a blush on both their faces.

Collei was right indeed.

Diona remains silent and continues drinking. She’s not sure why it’s so complicated for those two to get married. But they are getting along fine, like her own parents, so she doesn’t pry further.

After a short breakfast, the four girls are already on their first stop of the day: shopping for swimsuits! As one would expect for a city built around the sea, there are plenty of places that sell such things, and after asking Mualani for advice, they look around a few select shops.

The four girls rummage through the clothes on display in search of the perfect swimming suits.

“What about that one?” Amber asks excitedly.

“No,” Eula replies without turning around.

“But you didn’t even look at it!”

“Is it a skimpy outfit with nary enough fabric to cover my body?”

Amber falls silent, before putting the swimsuit back on its shelf. She continues suggesting more alluring swimsuits for Eula, until she finally caves and tries a few of them out.

“There, happy now?” she asks. She is now wearing a black once piece with a particularly low cleavage cutting all the way down to her bellybutton, and the fabric comfortably wraps around and highlights her toned body.

“Very!” Amber replies happily.

Eula sighs but she can’t resist her girlfriend’s worshiping eyes. This one will do.

She moves on to help Diona decide in the children’s corner: she looks very interested in the saurian themed swimsuits, which have become a theme for her. She might have a complete collection by the end of their trip… Diona pulls her along by the hand to help her choose one that would work with her own traits, in particular it’s a bit hard to find out with a hole for her tail. Maybe they can ask the tailor to alter one of them? They have seen other animal-folks around, so it’s certainly not something out of the ordinary.

Out to the side, Collei looks at a few one piece swimsuits, which she checks very seriously.

“Not that one… not that one either…” she mumbles.

“Watcha looking for?” Amber appears behind her shoulder, making her jump.

“Kya! A-Amber! Don’t surprise me like that!”

Amber gives her a little hug as an apology then takes a look at the clothes Collei was just looking at.

“Hm… Those are very covering swimsuits. You know you can chose a more… adult one if you want.” Amber asks prudently. She tries to not push her, but she can’t help but notice that Collei doesn’t want something that would show her skin much, if at all.

“I know, I know, I just… I don’t want my Eleazar scars to show too much.”

Amber doesn’t press the issue, but she understands. She knows Collei has healed completely from her debilitating disease, and she is almost back to shape for someone of her age. But the marks of the cruel disease are still present on her body, albeit much fainter now. Her current choice of clothes made it possible to hide most of it until now, but a swimsuit would make it much harder.

Amber looks around the shop in search of ideas. “Ok, then, how about this? …”

No way she will let such a thing get in the way of he little sister’s enjoyment of their joyous vacation!

An hour later, and Amber is running around excitedly, eager to try a new sport: she has been looking forward to try surfing as soon as she heard that people in Natlan could ride the waves like the people in Mondstadt could ride the wind. Surely this will be exciting! As she runs around, Diona follows her closely with a cute giggle.

“Are you ok Eula?” Collei asks, with the two of them walking further behind.

“Yes, yes, I just don’t understand where she gets all her energy,” Eula sighs, but she cannot help but let a smile appear on her face upon witnessing her girlfriend’s limitless energy. “By the way Collei, your swimsuit is very pretty.”

Collei blushes shyly at the compliment. “Thanks, Amber helped my put it together.”

She twirls around proudly to show off the fruit of their work. She has picked a light green two piece swimsuit with a small space to show off her belly. Around her hips however she wears a large rainbow-colored pareo that hides most of her thighs, almost like a skirt. A few bracelets and ribbons are tied around her legs in strategic places, likewise for her arms. She also has a very light, white, almost transparent open shirt that covers her shoulders and her back. If Eula didn’t know better, she would never guess that Collei has anything she wants to conceal under her cute outfit.

“Very pretty indeed,” she repeats, happy to see Collei smiling and in such a good mood.

Eula on the other hand is on the other side of Amber’s styling choice. With her black and revealing swimsuit, she’s also wearing a couple of dark blue ribbons on her leg and ankles, as well as a few bracelets and a choker, to great effect. Without any doubt she has already attracted the gaze of a lot of people, men and women alike, and although she prides herself in her physique, she doesn’t particularly likes to be seen in such a way in public. But if that’s what Amber likes… she will have to bite the bullet for now. Just another point to add to her list of grievances against her girlfriend.

That being said, right now her attention is focused on Amber more than her own image. Like she should have known, Amber opted for a sport ensembl: a sport bra and very short shorts, and basically no accessories except for a headband with dark blue long ears instead of her usual red. A bit similar to… Mualani’s? But the rest of her swimsuit is black and red, and with her already tanned body and darkened freckles, she looks incredibly attractive to Eula. She enjoys her girlfriend’s antics as she runs around and giggles with Diona in tow.

The little cat girl, as expected, has chosen a kind of one piece swimsuit in the shape of a koholasaur, tail and hat included. The only strange thing is that she seems to have two tails now… but all that matters is that she enjoys herself, and her cute laughter chasing after Amber is all the proof needed to confirm it.

“Come over here!” Mualani waves at them on the beach on the Southernmost part of the town, just behind the Giant tower hosting the black obsidian monument of the Wayob. This whole part has been converted into a surf-teaching spot to handle the new influx of tourists after the war.

“I see you ladies are ready to enjoy the sea! Need a surfboard?” she asks with a business smile next to a range of boards with various colorful designs and shapes.

“Yes please!” Amber replies, hopping in place from the excitement.

“What about you guys? Wanna try?” Mualani asks.

The rest shake their heads, they will be happy just to watch Amber play around. The idea of riding the waves in the ocean when none of them is that confident a swimmer is not appealing for them. Amber is clearly an exception.

After a quick lesson on the beach, Mualani leads Amber further at sea where the size of the waves are not too big for beginners, but good enough to get a ride going.

Eula entrusts the kamera to Collei and Diona who are all too happy to snap pictures of Amber as she learns to surf the waves.

“I have some more film in my purse, come find me over there if you need more,” Eula says before retreating to the bar just above the beach. If she is not going to move, she might as well have a nice drink and enjoy the spectacle of her little bunny hopping on the waves.

She orders a cocktail (her first real alcoholic beverage since coming to Natlan, she realizes) and she finds a spot with a good view of the shore. After a few sips, she relaxes, amused by Amber’s repeated falls into the water as she cannot quite grasp how to stay balanced on her surfboard. Despite that she seems to be having the time of her life, and seeing her laugh with Mualani warms her heart.
“I hope Collei and Diona get some nice pictures,” she mumbles to herself.

“No way! Is that you Eula?”

A hearty voice calls her from behind. That voice… is it?

“Captain Beidou??” Eula asks in surprise.

She turns around to find a tall woman walking towards her with long dark hair, an eye patch, and an intimating aura. Beidou is wearing her usual outfit, a heavy looking coat with long boots and a dark swimsuit underneath all.

“The one and only!” She replies with a belly laugh, “Haha! Fancy meeting you here so far from Mondstadt! And looking damn fine, I might ask.”

Beidou whistles teasingly an sits down next to her. She starts to talk with Eula as though they were old friends, which isn’t entirely true. They only met for the first time a few months ago, when Beidou’s ship was anchored at Dornman Port in Mondstadt. Their first contact almost ended up in a fist fight, but they had soon come to respect one another.

“Thank you Beidou, it’s good to see you again,” Eula smiles gently and raises her drink.

“Cheers!” Beidou clinks her own tankard against Eula’s and gulps down a good part in one go. “Aaah that’s I’m talking about!”

“So, what brings Captain Beidou all the way to the end of the continent?” Eula asks, happy to find another lady her age to talk to leisurely.

“You know that this is the brand new port in Natlan, yeah? Well that gives me a very nice new point to anchor, midway between Fontaine and Liyue. I’ve been coming here a few times to trade some goods, and it’s been great for business! Although this time around I also brought a couple of friends that wanted to come here for a festival or something.”

“Oh, the music festival at the Stadium? That’s in a few days. We hope to attend as well, a new friend generously gave us a pamphlet for it since she is going to participate.”

Beidou squints her eyes. “Participate? Wait a minute, did you get it from Xinyan by any chance?”

“Indeed!” Eula says with surprise, “Is she perhaps one of the people you say you brought here? If that’s the case, then the second person is…”

“Kazuha! Haha, nice, so you met them already! How were they?” Beidou excitedly ask after taking a new sip of her beer.

“Rather well, I reckon, although we met them separately. Miss Xinyan at the Children of Echoes, and Mister Kazuha at the Scions of the Canopy. I believe their plans was to reunite shortly after we left.”

“Uh-uh, sounds about right for them! They don’t mind going their separate ways, but that’s what free spirits are! I have to admit though, it’s been fun looking over those two slowly falling for each other. They are such a cute couple!”

“That’s the sentiment I got when I met them, yes,” Eula replied with a gentle smile.

The Captain observes Eula for an instant, then follows her gaze to the sea.

“Oho, so that’s why you have such a mushy smile on your face! ‘That your girl?” Beidou asks with a sudden spark of interest.

“Indeed, that’s Amber. And, before you get any ideas, she’s mine,” Eula replies with her chin up and a piercing stare.

“Ah come on, you should know that I don’t go around stealing people’s partners behind their backs! I may be a pirate but I have principles!” Beidou laughs, glad to hear Eula joking, so far from the image of a stuck-up woman she first had of her. “You know very well that my heart is already spoken for!”

“Your heart might very well belong to that Lady from Liyue you talk so much about, but it is also common knowledge that Captain Beidou has a few flings at every port she drops her anchor at.”

“Hey, I’m a free spirit! Besides, Ning and I have our own agreement. We’re cool.”

Eula sighs and smirks. “I wonder if you were a citizen of Mondstadt in a previous life. Your free and libertine spirit would belong pretty well back home.”

“I don’t belong anywhere but the sea, as you should know. Speaking of, your girl doesn’t look very good at that board thing.”

They turn their eyes back to Amber who keeps falling done spectacularly. She does manage to stay upright a few times but ends up hopping off as soon as she loses control.

Amber has been at it for quite a long time by know, but she doesn’t seem to have given up in her hope to ride a wave properly. Mualani is already back at the beach to handle other customers, happy to let Amber improve by herself. She continues under the watchful eyes of Eula and Beidou and the clicking kamera shared by Diona and Collei.

When the sun nears its zenith, Diona’s ears perk up and she stiffens.

“Diona? Is something wrong?” Collei asks.

A low rumble shakes the ground.

A few moments later, the volcano to the East erupts violently and spews out fiery rocks and glowing lava high up into the sky, and after a few seconds the roaring sound of the explosion reaches the ears of the people on the beach at the same time as another, more powerful earthquake.

BOOM

Collei and Diona fall down on the sand, surprised by the ground moving under their feet. They look around in surprise and fear. The water on the shore seems to recede slightly, leaving a small patch of wet sand and mud to be exposed to the air.

“Everyone, get away from the beach!” Mualani and the other people in charge of the beach shout and start to shove everyone away from the sea.

“Wha-what is happening?” Collei asks, gripping Diona’s hand as she runs instinctively towards the bar.

They meet back with Eula who wraps her arms around them both and push them further inland. Her face is pale, and she is looking back at the sea with a panicked look in her eyes.

The retreating sea has pushed Amber much further away from the shore, and the waves are becoming more violent and intimidating by the second. The volcano’s rage continues to shake the sea and the waves are getting bigger. All she can do is crouch on her board to avoid falling into the water. If she was to fall now, she fears she might not be able to stay afloat. With increased focus she tries to get back to shore, riding the waves as best she can, but the sea is a terrible adversary.

Back on the shore Beidou grips Eula’s arm, telling her to get away and let the professionals handle the rescue. Just at that moment, Amber manages to ride a wave and miraculously she enters a giant tube and rides inside. The feat is impressive, but short lived: as soon as she exits the rolling waters she looks up and opens her eyes wide.

Why is there a someone here?!

This is the last thing Amber can think of before crashing into another woman running on the surface of the sea.

BONK

Chapter Text

“Amber!” Eula screams in terror.

The sea waves crash down violently against the shore and up the beach, a mini-tsunami created by the volcano’s eruption and the accompanying earthquake. Most of the people on the beach have moved on top of the piers by now, but a couple of women are instead running towards the sea to help the two people who are still stranded out at sea.

Mualani is the first one, riding on her shark-shaped surfboard with incredible velocity. Her whole body is bathed in a bright blue aura as she speeds up effortlessly through the waves.

The second one is Beidou, who immediately broke into a sprint to plunge and swim towards the two people to rescue. Despite her lack of accessory or special powers like Mualani, she slices through the water with fluidity and her powerful muscles makes it look like she is gliding through the surface.

Mualani is the first one to arrive at the scene of the collision and she hurries towards the closest casualty. She manages to find Amber, still scrambling to keep her head out of the water, but the giant waves make it incredibly difficult for her. After a few expert turns around the moving hills of the sea, Mualani catches Amber’s arm and pulls her violently out of the ocean to rest temporarily on her shark-surfboard. For added precaution, she puts a pair of inflatable balloons – in the form of octopuses – around Amber’s shoulders to make sure she is kept afloat. She tries to shout a few words of comfort, but the crashing water drowns all sounds. Thanfully Amber doesn’t seem too panicked: even in a foreign element she still manages to keep her cool thanks to her years of training.

Once Mualani is happy that her casualty is safe enough for the time being, she takes a moment to look around in search of the other person that crashed into Amber, but she can’t seem to find her trace. It takes Mualani a moment to finally get a glimpse of her, way further than she thought: she can see the silhouette of a woman moving her arms frenetically out of the water, being dragged away by the current towards the open sea.

Before she has time to devise a plan for the second rescue, an unexpected helper appears: Beidou suddenly emerges from behind and wraps her arms around Amber.

“I got her! Go get the other one!”

Mualani takes a second to consider Beidou’s suggestion, which sounds more like an order than a question. For a split second she looks at Beidou’s gaze who remains serious and unwavering. She makes a quick decision and decides to trust her on the spot. When lives is on the line, you have to put your trust into the ones who extend their help. Now focused on only one person to rescue, she takes back her surfboard and races again against the waves to find the other woman.

Back on the shore, Collei and Diona do all they can to prevent Eula from running into the water after Beidou.

“They’ve got this, Eula!” Collei shouts.

“Eula, Eula! Please don’t go!” Diona pleads, her little arms around Eula’s leg.

Their desperate calls finally reach her brain and she stops moving. With bloodshot eyes she follows the rescue operation in slow motion.

“I… it looks like they got them both,” she finally says. “They’re coming back. Beidou is bringing Amber back.”

Eula sighs, inhales and exhales slowly to try and calm down. As the de facto leader of their group, she should not have panicked like that. She knows it, but as soon as she saw Amber fall into the turbulent waters, her heart stopped and her whole calm demeanor had vanished.

But now she has to snap back out of it. She takes another long breath and looks down. Collei and Diona are both almost in tears but still grabbing her arm or leg. She crouches down and pulls them both in her embrace.

“I’m sorry both of you, I shouldn’t have panicked like that. It’s alright now, see? Captain Beidou is bringing Amber back. Have I told you about Beidou? She is a pirate and one the best swimmer in Teyvat. Amber is safe with her.” She keeps talking to them, in an attempt to reassure them both, and in doing so, herself as well. They all seem to calm down somewhat and wait patiently as Beidou swims back and reaches the shore.

Despite her incredible athleticism Beidou is still only human, and the giant waves created by the natural cataclysm have sapped her strength in minutes. She brings Amber to lie safely on the sand and falls down at her side, out of breath and exhausted.

“S-See, I got your girl back, Eula!” she says in between heavy breaths, still managing to smile despite her exhaustion. “Hey, why don’t you give her some rescue breaths?” She throws a joke in the hope of lightening the atmosphere, after seeing Eula so distressed.

But Eula is still not completely back to her reasonable self. She just came running towards Amber and Beidou with the other girls just behind, and she quickly kneels down near Amber who is panting quickly with her eyes half closed, with a large bruise on her forehead.

“R-really? Rescue breaths?” she says, still in a daze. Without even thinking about why she would need to give rescue breaths to someone who is clearly breathing on her own, she wraps her arms around Amber, lifts her up and dives down into a deep, passionate kiss.

The other people who came to help stop in their tracks at the scene.

Eula is not doing a rescue breath, far from it. Even if she knows how to do it, she obviously forgot for the moment. All she cares about is that her lover is back, safe and sound, and she can’t help but kiss her with all her heart.

Collei coughs loudly, and Eula wakes up from her daze. She pulls back from Amber’s lips and looks down, a smidge of red on her ears as she processes what she just did in front of so many people.

“Am I in heaven? Did you come down from Celestia just for me? Hehe, I knew you were an angel, Eula!” Amber slurs her words with a dumb smile on her face.

“Well, that’s one way to bring someone back!” Beidou laughs out loud, and soon enough the rest of the people around erupts in laughter. The atmosphere lightens back up and everyone gets back to helping the rescuee and rescuer warm up and rest. Both Amber and Beidou get a warm blanket and a warm chocolate drink after having been moved to a safer location. On Collei’s suggestion, Eula keeps her hand over Amber’s forehead and summon a bit of her ice power to help sooth her swollen skin, and Amber smiles happily at the cool contact.

There is now a whole rescue team who makes sure that everyone stays away from the shore for the time being, in case of a repeat.

A couple of minutes later, Mualani comes back as well with the second mysterious person that Amber crashed into in her arms. Contrary to Beidou who came back by swimming, Mualani made the whole journey on her surfboard using her mysterious powers. Thankfully the rescued woman appears to be fully conscious as well, if only tired and cold. Amber finally gets a clear look at the one who was somehow running on top of the water: an adult woman as tall as her but with rounder features, with pale skin, white and blue short hair, and wearing a one piece swimsuit with white and blue horizontal stripes in Fontaine style.

She appears to feel actually good enough to walk already, but her legs are still wobbly, so Mualani helps her stay upright until she can sit down on a chair and wrap her with a blanket. She barely has time to provide her first aid that out of nowhere – from the pier side – a rumble of little steps trails on the wooden path and rushes to the shore towards the mysterious woman.

“Mama! Mama!”

“Mama Furina!”

“Mama! Are you alright?”

A dozen or so little bipedal creatures smaller than Diona, all with small horns on top of their head and a short tail on their back, appear and crowd around the lady sitting in the chair. Collei quickly recognizes them as Mélusines, straight out of Fontaine’s fairy tales books.

“I-I’m OK don’t worry,” Furina responds, doing her best to reassure her panicked children by patting their heads one after the other.

Mualani stays near her, and asks her a few more first aid questions to make sure she is fine. She hands her a hot chocolate drink seeing as she is still shivering.

“You still look a bit shaken,” Mualani says, “I recommend you rest up for the remainder of the day. Do you have another adult that can take care of you?” Mualani asks with a glance at the whole group of little Mélusines.

“Ah! Yes, my husband!” Furina replies with a jolt. “Children, where is Neuvillette?”

None of them reply immediately. They look at each other with hesitation before one of them finally speaks up.

“Papa Neuvillette has been arrested,” they say.

Furina flinches.

“Hein?”

Chapter Text

“Do you think that lady will be Ok?” Amber asks.

“I am positive she will,” Eula replies. “Especially with Collei by her side. As soon as she saw that lady ‘Furina’ starting to panic, it was as though she became a different person and she took charge immediately. I’m impressed to the say the least.”

“But why did they move inside a tent?”

“That was to help her calm down,” Collei answers as she walks to them, “Hey, I’m back.”

“Collei! So, how is she?” Amber asks.

“Furina is Ok, don’t worry. She just got a surprising news, and since she was already tired from the accident, she was very close to getting a panic attack. I just asked Mualani for a calm place to help her calm down. But she really only got a bump on her forehead.”

Collei looks down at big sister with a frown. “What about you?”

Amber smiles, but she still looks uncharacteristically pale. Behind her Eula keeps a strong hand on her shoulder to keep Amber on her chair, and her other hand is stuck to Amber’s forehead, with a pale blue aura emitted at the point of contact.

“Don’t move Amber. Your forehead is still swollen,” Eula warns.

“Oh come on, it’s just a little bump! I’m fine!”

“No! The Doctor said that you should rest today! Don’t move Amber!” Diona is sitting on Amber’s lap, with her little arms wrapped around her waist to make sure Amber would not try to get up.

“Pfft! You are in good hands Amber! Just take it easy for today, Ok?” Collei bends down and gives a little kiss on Amber’s cheek.

“B-but there is so much I have yet to do! I was almost getting good at that surfboard thing! And I want to go swimming too! And play with the chocolasaurs! And – ”

“Koholasaurs.” Collei interrupts, “And you can do all that tomorrow. Mualani said that the surfing area is closed for today because of the waves that crashed on the site.”

“Don’t grumble Amber, you’ll get wrinkles on your pretty face.” Eula pinches her cheeks affectionately.

“Bwut iv you ping mah cheeks I’ll get all sore! And – hey Diona, don’ mimic Eula!”

“Hehe, that’s pretty fun!” The little girl forgets she was trying to hold to Amber, and instead joins Eula in playing with her face.

“Collei, helb me! … Wait, what are you doing with that kamera?”

Klick.

“There! Now I got the aftermath of the incident! To complete the collection of all the times you fell from your surf board!”

“Noooo!” Amber laments on her chair, trapped by teasing hands. “Tell me you at least go a good picture when I was surfing through that big wave??”

Collei smiled wryly, “Sorry Amber, we were too panicked to take one… But, uh, you looked very cool back then! … Until you crashed that is.”

“Hmmph… Then tomorrow I’ll try again, and I won’t stop until you get a good one!”

With the stress of the situation lifted, the group let themselves relax, teasing and laughing at each other for a while.

“Oh, by the way, where is Beidou? I still haven’t thanked her properly for saving me,” Amber says.

“She came back to her ship to rest.” Eula replies, checking Amber’s forehead again while talking. “Don’t worry, she’s supposed to stay a few more days so we can go and thank her next time.”

Just as they were about to get up, Mualani gets back to them.

“Hello guys, how are you doing? Amber, how’s your head?”

“I’m fine! Thanks for helping me get back! And don’t worry, I can try again anytime!”

“But not today. The doctor said to rest.” Eula keeps a firm grip on her girlfriends shoulder.

“Hehe, I feel you Amber, but them’s the rules!” Mualani winks, before taking a more serious tone. “Tell you what, the guys at the Phlogistological Association said there should not be another eruption anytime soon, but we still have to close a few places for safety. So as a sign of goodwill, we’ve decided to distribute a few goodies for the tourists involved. Here you go: free entry for the hot springs of your choice! Be sure to check them out in the next few days, these have an expiration date!”

“Ooh! Will do!”

“Not today Amber.”

“Aw…”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea to wait a bit!” Mualani adds. “I think most people are going to move to the hot springs for the rest of the day. So I would recommend the Eastern Beach if you want to enjoy the sea a bit more today. They haven’t been damaged by the waves, and there is a lot of activities to do! Since the sun is out, it’s a good opportunity to catch some rays! What do you say?”

The group quickly agrees.

On to the beach!

Contrary to the surfing area, the Eastern Beach is oriented towards calmer waters, ideal for more leisurely activities, be it in the water or on the beach. The thin white sand scintillates from the zenith’s sun, crunching under the feet of the little Mélusines running around to catch a colorful, bouncing ball with octopus features. A few other children – locals and tourists – have joined them to make two more of less equal teams, including Diona who fit in without any effort.

The rules of the game keep fluctuating, with a new rule added here and there on a whim, but the children thrive in the chaotic game: they giggle and jump around with the energy that only kids can muster.

“Diona! Don’t forget to drink, it’s hot out here!”

Not far from the play field Collei calls out, sitting on the sand next to Furina.

“Don’t worry,” Furina says, “They’ll come running as soon as they get thirsty. I’ve got a lot of water drinks in my bag over there.”

Furina smiles. She only has a faint red bruise on her forehead from the incident this morning, but doesn’t appear bothered by it. Instead she seems genuinely happy to have found someone to talk to, even though Collei is obviously so much younger than herself. The way she had come to help and comfort Furina earlier had made her look so mature and reliable in the moment, but afterwards she had realized how young she actually was, barely an adult.

Furina herself feels that she has only matured recently, despite her 500 years of existence. Centuries of playing a role, never really her own self. As soon as she took off the mask of Focalor, the God of Hydro, she was also freed from her agonizing curse of pseudo immortality. It has been a few months since then, and as time went by she realized that her appearance had started to change gradually to match her mental age more closely. She had grown a little in both height and size – thanks to her unwavering love of desserts which her curse not longer negated. More mature, rounder in appearance, and a different personality: she could even walk through Fontaine incognito if she just switched her clothes from her usual style. The feeling of no longer being “Focalor” took some time to get used to, but soon enough she became the real “Furina.” But it had taken a mental toll on her, and her journey to a normal life had been slow. And thankfully she hadn’t been alone.

“So, you say you want to become a therapist, Collei?” She asks after adjusting her hat.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve… been through some things before, and I’ve realized that I want to become someone that can help people.”

She turns her head to look behind and smiles warmly.

“If it wasn’t for Amber I don’t think I would be here now. She taught me what it is to live again. I want to help others too, but in my own way. Oh, and of course, it’s also thanks to Pa… Master for taking me in and teaching me about health for the mind and the body, even if it only started as part of my training as Forest Ranger! I’m still a trainee, but… I think that’s what I want to do.”

Furina nods. To live again. Obviously Collei has more secrets she probably doesn’t want to share with someone she just met, but she seems so earnest and welcoming that Furina feels at ease with her. If it was someone like her, she would have probably accepted to find a therapist way earlier. With Neuvillette’s help she had finally found someone in Fontaine, but it had taken her a lot of time to admit to herself that she needed it.

“I’m sure you’ll do great, Collei.” No need to dump her own story to Collei either, she thinks.

Just a new friend to talk to and laugh with.

Further inland on the beach, the remaining members of their respective groups lounge on long chairs, protected by the hot sun by large umbrellas. Except for one person.

“Amber, are you sure you don’t want to come under the shade?”

“Yeaaah, I’m doing fine, it’s really not that bad. Not every day I get so much sun to bask in. I’m sure I can get a great tan in no time!”

Eula sighs and looks in worry as her girlfriend lays on her stomach, her bare back directly exposed to the harsh rays of the sun.

“Honestly, looking at you makes me feel hot,” Eula says with a frown before taking a sip of her ice cold drink.

“It is because I removed my top to get a better tan?” Amber says with grin.

Eula blushes, realizing what she had insinuated. “Not like that! I meant… Ah, never mind. I’ll remember this, hmph.”

She takes another sip, and realizes that her glass is already empty.

“I’ll go get another drink. Want something Amber?”

“Oh, an icy chocolate milk with those cute floating marshmallows, please and thank you!”

“Again, uh? Alright. But remember to turn around once in a while to tan on both sides. We wouldn’t want you to end up like one of your steaks, right?”

“Hey!”

Eula ignores Amber’s outraged shout and turns to her new acquaintance who until now had remained silent under the umbrella next to her.

“Mister Neuvillette, can I get you something on the way?”

The tall man at her side jerks up at her call. He is wearing a typical Fontainian swimsuit (a striped marine-blue one piece, covering from elbows to knees), matching that of his wife, Furina. He takes his eyes of the book he is reading and turns his deep blue eyes to the side.

“Oh I am most grateful. If you could provide me with some local water, that would be much appreciated.”

“Regular water, yes? Not hot spring water?” Amber chimes in with a giggle.

Neuvillette grimaces imperceptibly at her teasing. “Thank you for remembering my earlier faux-pas, miss Amber, but I will have obviously regular, cold water. Thank you.”

Eula nods and walks away towards Collei and Furina, who appear to be deep in conversation by the playing field.

Neuvillette tries to get back to his book, but Amber, now without anyone else to talk to, chooses him as his next talking buddy.

“Honestly Mister Noovillette! It would have been weird for me not to laugh when I learned you tried to drink hot spring water from the source.”

“It’s ‘Neuvillette’, like in ‘deux’, not like in ‘two’. And please do not wiggle the knife in the wound, miss Amber. I am ashamed enough as it is at my own hubris.”

“Eh don’t worry about it, I’m just teasing you. I mean if you were trying to drink from the lakes of Dragonspine near Mondstadt, I would just laugh for a bit, not arrest you! At least I think that’s legal… You know what, I would have to check the rules with Master Jean, maybe I would really have to bring you to prison!”

“Oh? I did not realize I was speaking to a member of Mondstadt’s law enforcement?” Neuvillette finally lifts his eyes up from his book and removes his reading glasses. “Excuse me for not noticing. Miss Eula said she was a Captain of a Reconnaissance Company, if memory serves. Are you in the same division?”

“Technically I’m a Captain too now, but I’m the only one of my kind: I’m an Outrider!”

Happy to finally get a conversation going with the man who had been very quiet until now, Amber turns around on her back, as Eula instructed, to tan on the front as well.

“My granpa was the Captain of the Outriders, but he disappeared a few years ago… so I took charge of the group after him. I’m trying to rebuild the Outriders, but right now it’s only me.”

“To take up such a legacy at such a young age. Most diligent.” Neuvillette remarks with a hint of appreciation. “I mentor many Mélusines myself, so at the risk of overreaching, I think I wouldn’t be wrong in stating that your grandfather would be proud of you.”

“Hehe! Thanks! I just hope I can find him again someday…”

“I wish you good luck in your endeavor.”

“Thanks! You do have that air of grand-father… -ness with you! Or maybe just father?…” Amber stops and looks down in the direction of the Mélusines. “Didn’t you say earlier that they are your and Furina’s children? I’m sorry to ask, but they… don’t exactly look like either of you.”

For the first time after they had met, Neuvillette’s face suddenly turns ever so slightly red.

“That is a personal matter that I would rather not delve into. The only thing you need to know is that they are Mélusines, yes, but they are also truly Mine and Furina’s beloved children.”

“Sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable! Eula says that I tend to be a bit too direct sometimes. But she also says that she likes it…”

“Who says what?” Eula says, appearing right next to Amber at the right time.

“Eula! Come here!” Amber reaches out gingerly.

With a roll of her eyes, Eula crouches down and gives her a little kiss, received with a cute squeal.

“Amber, put your top back on please, at least be appropriate in new company.”

“Boo, it’s not like it’s forbidden to tan like that here! Look around, there are plenty of women and men doing the same thing!”

“Maybe, but wouldn’t want to make Monsieur Neuvillette uncomfortable.”

“Not at all. Nudity is not particularly a problem in Fontaine as well, because of our cultural heritage with the water. It depends on your activities, for example it wouldn’t be appropriate to go without proper clothes in the streets or most gatherings, but things are different when it comes to the sea. We have a proud tradition of swimming and fishing, and a lot of Fontainians do so in the most simple of apparels.”

“Really now?” Eula replies in surprise, not sure what to make of that information.

“And, for the record, I only have eyes for my wife.” Neuvillette looks fondly at the ring on his finger, and then at the figure of Furina further away.

Amber props herself on her elbows. “Hm? Where are the drinks?”

“I got them!” Diona shouts from behind Eula with a little box in her arms. “Here’s your chocolate milk Amber… And… Hey, Eula, sit down! …There: your non-alcoholic ice cocktail.” Eula grimaces, but prefers to let it slide.

“And Mister Newvillette? A bottle of cold water, right?”

“Thank you child. And it’s Neuvillette. As in ‘deux’, not –”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going back to play, see you!”

She runs off before any of them reacts.

“Hem, sorry about that, Diona is just very happy to have found play mates.”

“No worries at all, I’m glad our children are getting along.”

Neuvillette relaxes back on his chair and takes a long sip of his bottled water.

“Oh my!” He almost shouts, and both Amber and Eula jolt from the sudden outburst.

“What is it Monsieur Neuvillette? Something wrong with the water?”

“Something wrong? Nonsense! This is the best water I’ve ever had the honor of tasting! What precious spring was this collected from? It must have cost you a little fortune! I would be happy to compensate you.”

“Hm… I am positive that I only got normal drinking water,” Eula replies, truly surprised by the turn of event. She checks the label of the bottle, and it is as she says.

“But that doesn’t make any amount of sense,” Neuvillette ponders. “I’ve drunk plenty of waters from Natlan – including the hot spring one, to my shame – but none of them come close to this one. It tastes like… the water from a fairy spring, so to speak.”

Amber and Eula look at each other and nod. Springvale’s little barmaid strikes again in a most unexpected way.

“That won’t do. How about… I take care of lunch for everyone here for today? You can choose whatever delicacies they sell at the booth over there, and will pay it full.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary, surely. After all it was just a bit of water…”

Neuvillette looks taken aback by the outrageous claim.

“Just water? Oh no, you don’t get it. I consider myself a connaisseur of all things hydro, and I have tasted many renowned waters from springs all over Teyvat. And I can tell you without the shade of a doubt that this is the best water I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking. I insist.”

Eula coughs straighten up. “I’m sorry of course we’d welcome your good intentions. Maybe we can arrange to send you some more of that water once we’re back in Mondstadt. I believe there is someone in Springvale that would be happy to sell their Spring Water to you.”

“Well, then, thanks Mister Meuvillette!” Amber gets up, eager now to get something more solid in her belly after so many chocolate drinks. She quickly put her clothes back on and takes a few tentative steps. She is still wobbly, but that never stopped her before. She grins, happy to be back in action somehow. “I can take the orders! Should I bring the girls and the children back too? Let’s all eat together!”

“Sure thing. Hm?”

Collei and Furina have continued their talk while keeping an eye on the children, but they do not see a small group of young people approach them – three men and one woman, all seemingly close to Collei’s age, wearing distinctive Natlanese tattoos and revealing swimwear. They very intentionally walk around and stop in front of them.

“Good day ladies, how’s it going?”

“Uh, hi?” Furina answers defensively. “Is there anything you want?”

The young men look at each other and grin. “We couldn’t help but notice you two cute ladies on the beach today.”

Another one chimes in. “Where are you from? Fontaine? Your swimsuits are quite stylish!”

Collei looks at them, bewildered. They don’t look bad at first sight, but she cannot help but think that… they may be hitting on them? She shivers, unsure of how to react at this very cliché trope from her novels.

“Thanks, but we’re fine.” Furina replies coldly, waving her hand to chase them out. Their eyes quickly focus on the ring she is wearing, and as quickly look at Collei in search of a similar item, which she lacks. All of a sudden all their attention turns to her, and Collei feels herself shrinking from the stares that she feels running all over her.

“Come on, I’m sure the young lady would like to have fun with us!” The young woman says, reaching out her hand to Collei, who recoils on instinct.

“I’m good, thanks,” she replies curtly. She doesn’t like where this is going.

The men stiffen. They obviously don’t want to let go of such a nice catch, especially now that they realized that the other one is off limits.

“You say no now, but you’ll quickly warm up to us, I can guarantee it! Come on, let’s go!” The man with the strongest build moves his hand to grab her arm in an attempt to pull her away.

“Hey!” Furina shouts, getting up to stand up to them, but she is still pretty small compared to them. She starts to consider using her vision, but she stops herself when she sees the man’s arm abruptly caught and brought back around his back by someone else behind him.

“Don’t move so much, unless you want someone to get hurt.”

Collei opens her eyes wide. “Ororon??”

“Oh, hi Collei.” He smiles as though nothing special is happening.

“Wha… oh shit it’s him, get away guys!” The girl of the group panics and start running away, followed by the other two men, leaving the man in Ororon’s grasp to fend for himself. He trembles and tries to shakes himself free.

“Fuck, let me go you half-freak!” he shouts half-angry, half-scared.

He winds up a big motion to free himself, but Ororon lets go just in time for the man to punch the air and fall headfirst in the sand.

“I told you not to move. See?” Ororon shrugs, but his eyes are piercing through the young man, whose last bit of bravado evaporates. As fast as the others, he runs away and rejoins his group, which soon enough disappears.

“You alright there?” he asks, turning back to look at the two women.

“Thanks, young man.” Furina replies. “Is he a friend of yours?”

Collei nods. “Yes! Well we only just met, but as you can see he’s a reliable friend.”

“Thanks, I like to think I’m a nice fellow.” Ororon pumps out his chest dramatically, and Collei chuckles. Unlike the other men he chased off, Ororon has a slimmer frame, and now that he is in swimsuit, Collei can see the multiple scars and tattoos he had under his shirt. Then she remembers what the group called him. Half-freak. Her mind wanders. At first she though he was cute, then she took pity on him, then she got angry on his behalf, without even knowing why. She stayed silent, trying to wrestle with her changing emotions.

“Anyway, I wasn’t joking when I said someone could get hurt.” Ororon continues, turning his attention back to the rest of their group on the beach.

Back under the umbrellas, a fierce aura of elemental energy growls and grows, ready to be unleashed. Collei and Furina look back in horror as they realize that both Neuvillette and Eula are radiating a murderous aura from their seats.

“See? If I didn’t chase them away I’m not sure they would have survived those two,” Ororon adds nonchalantly.

“Oh no!”

It takes the combined effort of Amber, Collei, Furina, as well as Diona and the group of Mélusines (who came back to see what was going on), to finally calm them both down.

“Preposterous youth…”

“Cowardly peasants…”

Each in their own words they continue to seethe, each one wrapped in their partner’s arms to keep them still – Neuvillette in Furina’s, Eula in Amber’s.

“Unripe seedlings.” Ororon adds, happy to play along.

“Ororon!” Collei turns to him with a shocked face. “Wait, was that supposed to be an insult?”

“From where I’m from, it sure is.”

“Uh, Ok? And… Diona, what are you doing?”

“...Nothing?” The little cat girl discreetly readies her bow and a few arrows. “… You know, just in case they come back.”

“Diona, with the people we have here I think we’re pretty safe. Everyone here has a vision, I think. Wait, Monsieur Neuvillette doesn’t have one, so how come he could…”

“Well, Miss Collei, sorry for our outburst,” the Iudex, Chief Justice of Fontaine, and secretly the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, cuts her short. “Before the incident, I was suggesting we eat together – my treat. Why don’t you all go and buy some delicacies from the stalls? Take as much as you want. Oh, and Mister Ororon: you are invited as well, of course.”

“Sweet. Thanks Granpa,” Ororon replies with a thumb up.

“… What did you call me?”

“Uhhh, thanks Mister Noovillette, we’ll go buy some food! Come on Ororon!” Before Neuvillette can rectify her pronunciation again she quickly walks away, pulling Ororon along before his particular way of speaking gets him in more trouble.

Ororon let’s himself get pulled along by Collei, an imperceptible smile on his face.

Chapter Text

“Say what you want, but these Natlan people sure know how to make good grub! It’s delicious!” Amber licks her fingers avidly, with a pleased smile on her face and crumbs on her cheeks. Sitting on their shared towel next to her, Eula sighs and cleans her girlfriend’s face with her handkerchief. “True as it may be, it would be nice if you learned how to eat them properly, Amber.”

It is past noon in the Eastern Beach of the People of the Springs, and the people in the large, unusual group of tourists are finishing their midday lunch, graciously offered by the gentleman from Fontaine, Monsieur Neuvillette. Sitting crossed legs next to his wife, Furina, they are both busy distributing sorbets to each of their Mélusine children who are patiently waiting in line.

“Thank you Papa! Thank you Mama!” They all say after getting their sweet dessert, and Neuvillette doesn’t forget to pat their head affectionately before ushering them away. Each one who got their share then goes to gather with Diona and they all huddle in a circle not too far from the main group.

“Diona? Do you want more ice cream?” Collei shouts. Within seconds the little Katzlein girl nimbly jumps at her side, an expectant look on her face. “Here, but that’s the last one for now, Ok?”

“Okay, thanks Collei! I’ll get back to the council now.” Diona runs back immediately to her group of friends and they resume a heated talk about which desserts of each of their countries is the best. At one against seven Diona is outnumbered but she holds her ground pretty well. Yet there is no doubt that she will ask for some Crême brulée or Îles flottantes in the near future.

Ororon looks at the little cat girl with a smile. “You said that Kachina made friend with little Diona? I’m glad, honestly. She needs more friends her age.”

“Yeah,” Collei replies, sitting next to him, absentmindedly licking what remains of her ice cream on her wooden stick. “But I thought it was a bit strange. At her age it should be easy. Normally Kachina should have more close friends, even if she is timid.”

“That’s because her mind is still that of a warrior.” A familiar voice calls out from behind them.

“Mualani? Fancy meeting you here,” Ororon says with barely a change of expression.

“I live and work around here, you dummy!” she replies, sticking her tongue out playfully. “The beach is my domain, and my business, so of course I’m here!”

The famous guide and long friend of Ororon plops down right next to him, and joins the conversation naturally.

“So it is true? She fought in the war against the Abyss?” Collei asks again something she already knows.

“Yep. And she is an excellent fighter, don’t let her small build misguide you. She beat me fair and square in the last Pilgrimage! I think… the reason she doesn’t have a lot of close friends is because she is still living among the Children of Echoes. She had a hard time finding a team that would accept her before. I guess she still hasn’t managed to reconcile with a lot of people? Apart from a few like Xilonen, but she is not from the same generation. Honestly, maybe she could move to another tribe? I’d be glad to have her here! At least she’d be with a bunch of new faces, and she would have me, her good old fighting buddy!”

“So you also…”

Both Mualani and Ororon nod. “It may not look like it, but most people fought in the last war, some very young,” Ororon adds with a serious look on his face, “Kachina might be the youngest to ever be selected, but it was very common for very young warriors to fight with us. We… didn’t really have a choice.”

Collei looks at Mualani and Ororon with renewed interest and empathy. Their body scars are not just for show, and their stares as they remember the past betray their internal unhealed wounds. If she wants to be become a therapist, she will have to get familiar with people like them.

“Welp! Enough of the serious talks, what are guys up to? Is Amber doing Ok?”

Not too far from them, under a large umbrella, Amber has moved to sitting on Eula’s lap, securely wrapped in her arms. She is still in the middle of her meal and her mouth is full, so all she can do is nod and give a thumb up in the direction of Mualani.

The little group chuckles and moves to another topic.

“By the way, I had to handle a group of troublemakers on this beach, I hope they didn’t bother you?” Mualani says, back to business.

Ororon and Collei look at each other and laugh. “Yeah, thanks Mualani,” Ororon says, “I just gave them a warning but it sounds like you really let them have it. No wonder they call you the second coming of Altea. So intimidating!”

Mualani snorts at the comparison, but her mouth soon turns into an endearing smile. “I don’t mind if people call me that. It means I’m doing a good job!”

Finally the topic turns towards a more leisurely direction, namely: what other activities they can do today at the beach.

And the answer, chosen after everyone has finished eating, is a new game.

Pufferball!

“Alright people, look over here as I and Ororon demonstrate the basics of the game!”

Mualani stands on one side of a large rectangle drawn on the sand with white chalk, split in half by a net held up by two tall pikes the height of a large man. Ororon stands on the other side of the net, a little purple ball in the shape of an octopus in his hand.

“Each team is made up of two people, and the one who have the ball must throw it into play on the other side of the net! If the ball lands outside the lines, it’s out and the receiving team gets a point and the ball. If the ball lands inside, the throwers keep the ball and get a point. The receiving team can hit the ball up to three times to try and send the ball back on the other side. And players can’t touch the ball twice in a row: they need to either throw back directly, or give a pass to their partner.”

“Also, no catching the ball,” Ororon adds. “No catch, only throw,” he says, demonstrating by hitting the ball over the net. Mualani uses her two hands to hit the ball and send it back, and Ororon lets the ball land on his side.

“Oh no, I could not get the ball. I lose a point. Woe is me.”

“Pfft, such enthusiasm!” Collei chuckles as she puts her pen and notepad away after having written the rules.

“All right people, who wants in? C’mon don’t be shy!” Mualani shouts, and a few excited hands launch in the air.

Mualani sits atop a high chair overlooking the court, and she starts shouting: “Ladies and gentlemen, please cheer for our first contenders! On my right, Miss Amber from Mondstadt and her dear friend Collei from Sumeru! Together they form the team ‘Outriders’!”

“Yeeah! Go team!” Diona jumps up and down, besides Eula who claps politely.

“And on my right, a cute couple from Fontaine: Furina and Neuvillette! Together they form the team ‘Merusea’!”

The Melusines erupt in cheers when their parents get presented, creating a playful confrontation between the two cheering teams.

“Good luck!” Mualani gives the ball to Neuvillette to start the game, and the spectators fall silent. He inspects the ball for a while, unsure how such a weird octopus-shaped thing is supposed to fly straight, but no matter: it’s just a game. He takes aim and hit the ball!

It zooms past the net, and crashes into the sea far far behind the line.

“One point for the Outriders! Um… can someone get the ball back please?”

Ororon is already on the case, and he quickly comes back to give the ball to Collei.

“Good luck!” he says with a wink.

“T-Thanks!” She curses herself for stuttering, but now is not the time to get shy. Everyone is looking at her now, except for Amber who is already facing the net. Diona’s sparkling eyes are on her, as are Eula’s who nods lightly as encouragement. Her group has her back after all… She throws the ball high and hit it with all she’s got. The ball makes a curve above the net, flies above Furina who can’t block it, and into Neuvillette who manages to send it back.

“Up!” Amber was ready for the block and she jumps as high as she can to smash it down!

“Two points for Outriders!” Mualani shouts. The game is on!

Both teams play fairly well for their first time, but the close communication between Amber and Collei and their general fitness – despite Amber not being back to 100% - help them to get ahead. On the other side, Furina is struggling at first to stop the ball at the net, and she almost always has to rely on Neuvillette behind, but he is not as nimble as her. After a while, he asks for a short break to talk to Furina.

“Furina, how about we switch places, me at the front, you at the back?”

“You’re right, with your height you should be able to block the ball better!” she says, vexed by her helplessness.

“Oh. That is true, I suppose, but the reason I am asking to change is to not get… distracted.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your bathing suit is pretty revealing, and with you moving around so much, my eyes tend to look at you instead of the ball.”

The explanation is not what she expected, but hearing Neuvillette express his attraction to her so candidly warms her heart. “R-Right! It wouldn’t do to have my dear husband distracted! Let’s do that…”

They come back on the court, both their faces a little red, but also with more determination than before.

“Watch out Collei, they’re hiding something!” Amber senses are tingling.

“Hm, they must have changed strategy. With Mister Noovillette in front, we’ll have to aim higher or to the side, but Furina has shown to be pretty quick on her feet.”

“Uh? Oh you’re right, I was just thinking they were looking fiercer now. Ok let’s get this win!”

They high five to psych themselves up and get back into the game. As expected the Merusea team is playing much better now and they almost manage to get back, but the Outriders had enough advance to win the contest.

“The Outriders are the victor! Congrats!” Mualani cheers from her high chair, and her excited gestures threaten to make her fall, barely. Ororon diligently holds the bottom the chair to avoid such an accident, but his eyes are on the contestants. Or, one contestant in particular, it turns out.

In the next games the players switch around and new ones come in: Eula trades places with Collei for a while to let her recuperate, while Amber insists that she is just fine, just out of breath. Ororon replaces Furina who got so much into the last part of the game that she ended up panting and sweating.

“Our second contestants! Amber and Eula, a couple from Mondstadt, they make team ‘Ambulance’!”

Diona giggles, “What kind of name is that?”

“And on the other side, we’ve got Ororon from Natlan, and Mister Neuvillette… Uh, what is your team name gentlemen?”

“Sorry we haven’t come up with one yet,” Ororon turns back to talk with Neuvillette in the middle of serious strategizing.

“Then I’ll give you one by default, you slowpokes! You will be… let’s see, Neuvillette-Ororon… Ah, I’ve got it: team ‘One Neuron’!”

“Hey!” Furina protests but laughs out loud, and Collei shivers. She is no strangers to dumb puns, and Mualani just gave her an unexpected taste of home.

“Start!”

Eula and Amber begin with the serve, and their hits are incredibly precise and accurate. They barely talk, but they understand each other perfectly with just a quick stare, a movement of the hand, or simply their posture. Their teamwork is impeccable, only hindered by Amber’s clear lack of energy for her second match in a row. Eula jumps heroically to retrieve the ball numerous times, earning appreciative “oohs” from the audience who clearly appreciate her athleticism.

On the other side, Neuvillette and Ororon have chosen a different strategy: they simply cut the court into two zones, Neuvillette has the front, and Ororon the back. They don’t bother with teamwork, since they know they will not be up to par with the trained couple on the other side. Instead, they focus on Neuvillette’s strong block sense at the net, and Ororon’s nimble moves at the back.

At first Ambulance get the advantage, but as Amber starts to get tired again, the simpler and sturdier defense of team One Neuron starts to chip away at their advance, until they are both tied to end the game. With two points of difference needed to win, they continue for a while until finally…

“Victory for One Neuron!”

The Melusines runs into the field and surround Neuvillette to congratulate him, and after following their little feet, he joins Furina by the side, who rewards him with a tender kiss. “Well done, Dear,” she says with a pretty smile. He doesn’t reply immediately, but for the rest of the contest Neuvillette stays close to Furina, his hand covering hers.

“Congrats Ororon!”

“Thanks Collei, but shouldn’t you comfort your friends instead?” They look back at the team that just lost: Amber is panting, sprawled out on the sand, and Eula is kneeling at her side, apparently nagging at her. Still, after a while she bends down to kiss Amber and carry her away in her arms.

“...Nah, they’ll be fine.” Collei chuckles. “You played very well, I didn’t think Amber and Eula would lose with their teamwork. But I think Amber ate more than she could chew. Once again.”

“I did get a drop of sweat at times,” Ororon shrugs, but happy to get her attention. Maybe… “… wanna team up for the next match?” he speaks out before he knew it.

“Uh, sure!” Collei beams. And Ororon’s heart skips a beat.

“Guys! How about a photo together before the next match!” Mualani shouts right next to Eula with her kamera at the ready. No doubt she was the one who made that request. Everyone agrees, of course, and the large group gets in place, mixing among each other with a splendid background made up of the ocean, the resort and the majestic volcano. Diona is obviously huddled with her new little buddies, with Neuvillette and Furina right behind them. Amber is not too far, and is of course already chitchatting with Mualani. Ororon has discreetly moved closer to Collei to discuss their upcoming strategy for the next game.

Eula sets up the kamera on top of a mountain of bags, and after one last check quickly runs to mingle. Everyone urges her to come as fast a possible to not miss the shot, and she quickly finds her place next to Amber who wraps her arm around her waist.

“Everyone, shout with me!” Mualani says, “Koholasaurs soar from the shores to the dance floor!”

Just like with Kinich’s absurd word, the group can hardly mouth the sudden tongue twister, and the photo ends up with a variety of amusing expression on everyone’s face. After everyone has finished laughing, they take a more conventional photo where they all smile happily.

“Alright, thanks folks, let’s get back to the field!”

“Last match of the day? We have one new team raring to go: Collei from Mondstadt and Ororon from the Masters of the Night’s Wind! They call themselves ‘The Shared Souls’!”

“Wait, why?” Collei asks, her cringe senses tingling.

“Dunno, it sounded cool. I couldn’t let Mualani pick a stupid name for us, right?”

“Oh Archon,” Collei rolls her eyes, but can’t help but chuckle at the idiotic name. Then she starts to think that it is eerily appropriate for her, since she still has her Archon fragment sealed inside herself. She feels the back of her neck where she still has a discreet tattoo-like seal. Does he know? If so, how? And, does it apply to him to? Maybe he has a seal as well of some kind? Collei vaguely remembers the insult that the guys earlier thew at him. “Half-freak.” Is his soul maybe… shared with something?

“Collei? You ready?” Ororon takes her out of her torpor with a worried face.

“Uh? Yeah! Yeah, sure,” she mumbles, shaking her head.

“...team ‘Guiding Hares’!” Collei hears the end of referee’s introduction of their opponents, but the referee has changed from Mualani to Furina, who appears to be perfectly in her element on the referee’s chair. Neuvillette holds its legs, in an overprotective gesture. Collei then looks behind the net and gasps.

“What is it Collei? Don’t tell me you’re scared of us?” Amber giggles, already back on the pitch. Collei sends a quick look at Eula who is currently facepalming at Amber’s brash attitude. She will be completely KO tonight.

“Ha don’t worry, with you and me, we’ll be unbeatable!” Mualani is stretching behind Amber, a wide smile on her face. “Can’t end the day without playing myself, now, can I? Especially against those two lovebirds.”

Collei’s face flushes, and she stutters in reply, “We… we’re not…”

Ororon has her back, “Yeah, we’re not birds. We’re bats.”

Collei turns around but can’t find the right words to retort. “B-bats?”

“Yeah? See my ears? And your little plushy at your waist? Both bats.”

Collei looks down and remembers the little Cuilein-Anbar accessory she keeps around. “It’s not a bat, it’s a kitty cat!”

Diona on the side line shouts out in support, “Yeah it’s a cat!”

“Potato, Tomato, it’s the same thing to me.”

“But that’s not even…”

Furina, seeing as the players can’t seem to shut up, interrupts them with a roar.

“GAME START!”

The two teams get back in their positions, and Collei serves. Her thoughts are still in disarray, so her ball awkwardly floats to the net.

“Point for Guiding Hares!”

It is now Amber’s turn to serve. She inhales to prepare, then shouts “Go go Balloon Bunny!” as she hits the ball with all her might.

The octopus-ball flies straight past the stunned Collei face, but thankfully Ororon dives and keeps the ball alive.

“Collei, you’re up!” He shouts, finally rousing her. She quickly looks at the ball, assesses its trajectory – perfectly served for her – and she runs, jump, and hit the ball in a magnificent smash. Mualani dives but can only send the ball way out of bound.

“Point for Shared Souls!” Furina proclaims out loud, and the crowd starts to cheer.

“Hmph, don’t worry Amber, we’ve got this!”

“Yeah, just you wait, I’m only getting started!”

With their happy attitude, it would seem that Mualani and Amber are the ones to lead, but they are already trailing by four points after a few minutes. When they get a serve Mualani follows her partner’s example and shouts her shot name as well: “Shark Attack!” then “Go with the Flow!”, half of the serves miss because of her overcommitment. Amber manages to keep afloat in the game, incredibly, but she falls down to the ground every time she manages a block or a dive. And every time she gets up, pulled up by Mualani as they grasps each other’s hand as though they have been comrades for years.

No matter, as the match progresses, the two energetic girls seem to get stronger and more focused, as though playing as the underdog was their best shot.

On the other side, Collei and Ororon’s play is a stark contrast: calculated passes and placed shots, smart positioning and astute blocks. They get good results, despite some poor play at times when they fail to properly communicate their intentions. As the game goes on and the difference in point reduces, they start to gather more often to whisper their strategy in each other’s ears, hiding their mouth to prevent the others to guess their plans.

The game is almost over and they are tied. Amber is panting heavily, but both Mualani and her are cheering themselves up loudly, sure to win the game with their guts alone. The audience is cheering both teams equally, thrilled by the close contest. Collei and Ororon have set up their plan – and traps.

The serve comes from Amber, and after a “Let it rain!” shout, Collei receives it and passes to Ororon at the net. Mualani is already behind, ready to block Ororon’s smash, who instead sneakily passes the ball to the side, where Collei was already in the middle of jumping! As high as she can get she hits the ball down with gusto, burying it into the sand in the other’s team zone.

“Point for Shared Souls! This is a match point, people!”

Ororon pumps his fist up and for the first time in the game both of them are showing their will to win.

“You’re going down Amber!” Collei shouts excitedly.

“And you’re going down Mualani!” Ororon follows, throwing his thumb down.

They both provoke their opponents, who look bewildered by the reversing of the taunts.

“Hey, that should be our phrases!” Mualani retorts with a laugh. Amber is shaking her head at Collei’s brashness, but of course with a wide grin on her face.

Ororon serves for the game, and all eyes are on him. He prepares a long shot, far from the serve line. He starts to run, throws the ball high up, Amber and Mualani both move back to receive the smash he is sure to hurl to their side.

“Bat kick!” He screams, pushing the ball weakly with as much force as a little slap. Collei smirks at the nonsensical name, and she follows the ball’s trajectory to the ground right behind the net. Realizing their mistake, Amber and Mualani both dive into the sand, and miraculously manage to hit the ball up, but…

“Sumeru Smash!” she screams with all her might, and the ball flies straight in the middle of the field and lands with a satisfying crunch.

“And that’s the game! Victory for Shared Souls! Congratulations everyone!” Furina shouts with her announcer voice, and all the people around who were holding their breath erupt in cheers.

“We won!” Collei shouts in delight as she throws herself into Ororon’s arms. Surprised but happy, he returns the gesture with a chuckle.

“Well done Collei, great play out there.”

“Thanks! Hehe!” She is literally beaming right now, a ray of sunshine so far from her usually reserved self.

“Oh by the way, you let that fall near the end of the game. It must have come undone with your first smash.” Ororon politely takes a step back and gives her a piece of cloth.

Her pareo.

She turns livid for a second, and then a terrible blush appears on her face. She looks down and indeed, her legs are bare now.

“D-did you see anything?”

“Of course. You did a great smash.”

“No, I mean, thanks, b-but I meant…”

He tries to give her a reassuring smile, then turns around to let her attach her pareo back around her waist.

“Did you… see?” she repeats the question, mortified. Her scarred skin, that she tried so hard to hide. And of course it had to be Ororon to see her like that!

“If that’s what you mean, then I didn’t see anything to be ashamed about.”

His response is far from what she expected.

“Bravo Collei! About time Someone shut Amber up!” Diona’s scathing congratulation makes Collei smile, and Amber shudder.

“Don’t worry, Little Miss Amber here is not going anywhere today without my express authorization. Right, Honey?” Eula comments and gives a little tap on Amber’s head as she hangs defeated on Eula’s shoulder like a sack of potato (or is it tomato?).

The sun is already coming down on the People of the Springs, and it is time to prepare for the last part of the day. Showers are in order of course after so much activity, but after that, several options offers themselves to them.

“I think I want to go thank Beidou with Amber, see how she’s doing. Right Amber?”

The only answer she gets is a mumbling “Yesh Ma’am” from the limp bunny on her shoulder.

“Can I sleep over with the Melusines? There’s a lot of stuff we still want to play… I mean discuss together!” Diona asks, her ears twitching in excitement.

“I don’t see why not, but…” Eula looks at Collei. “Collei, would you mind accompanying her? Unless you have other ‘plans’, in which case…”

Collei nods happily, “No it’s fine! I did plan to talk… I mean play with Furina as well!”

Amber lifts her head and looks at her little sister with suspicion. “Hey, I thought you’d want to spend more time with Ororon, maybe.”

Eula coughs, “As long as you get back at a reasonable time to the hotel, I am willing to turn a blind eye.”

“Oh.” Collei is stunned, and her ears turn a pretty shade of pink. “No, I… already have plans with him tomorrow?”

“Attagirl!” Amber mumbles, showing a thumb up before limply falling back to her rag doll-like self.

“Then, let’s reconvene tomorrow morning at the hotel to see what we do during the day. We do have tickets for the hot springs after all, and we should go there together, yes?”

“Yeaaah!”

“Yep!”

“Yeh…”

Chapter Text

“Wow, an actress, uh… I have seen a few plays at Zubayr Theater, but I’ve never seen a real film,” Collei muses.

Lazily lying down on the bed right next to Furina, she wears the Tepetlisaur pajama that she is secretly starting to like a lot. Furina herself has a more common set of Fontaine-style white pajamas with an old-fashioned nightcap. Surrounded by fluffy pillows, the two women have been talking as they wait for sleep to come to them.

“We are still trying to export them to other regions, but at least in Fontaine there are plenty of places to watch films! If you go there one day, make sure to tell me and I’ll show you around!”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely come! And if you come to Sumeru I’ll show you around the Bazaar and the Theater. I’m sure you’ll like Nilou’s dance.”

“Great!” Furina giggles, “That reminds me of the first dance I had with Neuvi… well the first real dance.”

“What do you mean, ‘real dance’?”

“We had a more business-like relationship for the longest time, far from what we are now. We had to attend a lot of balls and dance together at times but it was always required as part of etiquette.”

“Then… what changed?”

“Quite a lot…” Furina takes a long breath. After a while she nods, as though she has resolved herself to something. “For the longest time I was never able to be myself. I had to act strong, fearless, but also laid back and air headed.”

Collei frowns. “Why is that?”

“That’s how I was born, I was supposed to act. And I had no way to escape my fate. It was a real curse. It felt excruciating, and endless. So many years…”

“Then how did that change?”

“Something happened that turned my life upside down. Have you heard about the Great Flood in Fontaine a few years ago?”

Collei nods. To her shame she has barely followed the news from other regions (apart from Mondstadt), so she doesn’t know the specifics: she can only listen to see where Furina is going.

“… that’s when my curse disappeared, just like that. All these years, playing this role, wearing the mask of a goddess, and it all dissolved into the waters. You would think that I’d be fine after that, right? But that’s when I crashed. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I honestly didn’t know what my self was, since I had never lived as anything else than an Archon.”

Collei does not register what Furina means immediately. Then she finally makes the connection. “Archon… as in Focalor? The hydro Archon Focalor?”

“That’s right. But Focalor is no more. Only Furina remains.”

“Wait, you mean, you used to be… Her? The Goddess of Fontaine??”

“That’s right…” Furina sinks a bit deeper in her pillow, with dread on her face. “Does it bother you that I am?”

Collei is speechless. But after seeing Furina’s worried look, she quickly responds.

“No! I’m glad you told, me. Honored even! But now I feel like I should call you Madame or –”

“Please don’t! I-it’s so hard to find friends that won’t worship me or expect me to pull political strings for them! Can you please… be my friend, not as Focalor, but as Furina?”

Collei swallows and thinks. “Sure! Now that I think about it, it’s not the first time I make friends with an Archon!” She laughs. Now it is Furina’s turn to be surprised.

“Wait, what? Who?”

“I’ve met the Dendro Archon before. Do you know her? We call her Nahida. Well I’m not that close with her of course, but she is very friendly and approachable. And very cute. I think you would like her.”

Furina looks back at Collei, bewildered. And then erupts in laughter. “Hahaha! Now that’s a coup de théâtre if I ever saw one! I thought I might frighten you, but now I feel stupid for worrying about that!”

“Be careful, I might befriend all the Archons in Teyvat before long! Collei, friend of all Archons, here I am!”

Collei continues to giggle next to her new friend, relieved that her story had a happy ending of sort. And speaking of…

“Now then, Furina, tell me, how did you get close to Monsieur Noovillette? I’m even more curious now!”

“Oh!” Furina gasps and blushes, but she is all too happy to recount their love story to her new friend.

With great details Furina describes how, with her curse lifted, her body had finally started to mature again beyond one of a small teenager. She had become bigger – though shorter than most women – and rounder, due to her metabolism changing to one of a real human. And that change included everything from illnesses to periods. Having her menarche after several hundred years had certainly set a new record! She had discovered the pains and joys of maturity, but thanks to some close old friends, she had been able to embrace her new self. A new Furina, completely different than her old role.

And that’s when she started to catch the eye of Neuvillette, her coworker of old. Now that she didn’t work with him anymore, they met less regularly, and yet when she had begun to grasp her own identity and express her inner self more freely, she had realized how attracted she was to Neuvillette, the man who had lived close to her the longest. She had used all the tricks she had learned in her long career as a renowned actress to seduce the man, and he had completely fallen for her in a matter of weeks. No doubt the seeds of love had been sowed long ago, and they were just waiting for a sunny day to sprout and grow.

Collei listens intently. Such a strange, yet romantic story! Maybe one day she will also have someone like that that she’ll want to seduce? Beyond a short lived crush, of course. Maybe him…

“And now, he is my husband, and he is reading our children a story to help them fall asleep. Isn’t he great?”

Collei chuckles, “I’m sure Diona will fall asleep very quickly too, she likes it when I tell her stories from Sumeru.”

Furina sighs contently, and turns her attention towards her new confidant.

“Sorry for dumping all that on you Collei. I wasn’t planning to overwhelm you with my backstory.”

“Oh no it’s fine! Papa says that I’m a good listener, and that’s partly why I want to become a therapist.”

“Hm… Once again, I’m sure you’ll do great.” Furina smiles, and Collei relaxes.

“Well then, enough about me…” Furina switches gears and starts to smirk, “What about you? I heard you have a date with Ororon tomorrow?”

Collei flinches. She has indeed planned to meet with the young man, for a bit of shopping. But she hadn’t put that label on that activity until now. She sinks deeper under her sheets, in a vain effort to hide her boiling face.

And as fate would have it Collei barely manages to sleep that night. She wakes up quite early, and Furina helps her prepare with a little bit more attention than she usually does, just like Amber had done a few days ago. She quickly gets Diona back to Eula and Amber to their room in the morning, and then she goes on her own way. She plans to get back at noon for lunch, so she hasten her step.

And now she waits in front of a statue of a small koholasaur, apparently a very popular meeting spot. As she looks around, she realizes that a lot of the people who are gathering here are couples, of all things. She fidgets, looks around nervously, and wonders when Ororon should arrive. She… didn’t misunderstand him, right? Was it even the right time? The right place? More people come and go and Collei becomes self conscious. She looks down to check her clothes, a light sundress that she picked up a few days before at the Children of Echoes. She still has her loyal Cuilein-Anbar plushy attached to her side, and she strokes it nervously.

“Hey!”

“Kyah!” She jumps so high in the air that she could take off with her wind glider. Heart thumping she turns around and finds Ororon, waving at her apologetically.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Are you ok?”

“Y-Yeah! Never better!” she answers anxiously while she puts her heart back inside her chest. She feels that she is sweating profusely.

“Shall we go? I have a lot of places to be.” He tilts his head, inviting her to follow him. Now that she has calmed down, Collei realizes that Ororon is wearing a rather large backpack.

“What do you have in there?” she asks, unable to hide her curiosity as they start walking along the shopping alleys.

“My vegetables,” he replies as though that was enough to explain everything.

“Vegetables? For… what?”

“I have one last batch of deliveries to make today.”

They quickly make their way to the West of the city where a lot of the hot springs can be found, and in particular a specific establishment owned by a foreign investor. Ororon presents himself at the entrance, and a little pink floating creature greets him.

“Welcome to Natlan’s Aisa Bathhouse, how may I help you?” Its high pitched voice surprises Collei, but she finds the little creature very cute nonetheless.

“Here are the vegetables you ordered: twenty cabbages, thirty sacks of carrots, and fifty jars of Aphids’ Honey. In-hand delivery.”

“Ah, Mister Ororon, is it? Please leave this here, I’ll take it inside! I believe you have already been compensated?”

“That’s right. I just need your signature to finish the transaction.”

“One second please.” The little creature opens a little box, presses it’s little hand in it, then moves over the paper that Ororon has put on the table and presses on it again. An adorable little stamp in the form of it’s hand remains in pink ink. “There you go!”

Ororon checks the document one last time before slipping it in his side bag. “Thanks, nice doing business with you.”

“Oh, here’s a little complimentary gift for you both,” the baku says, handing two paper fans with the name of the Hot Spring on it. “Have a nice day!”

Ororon and Collei walk away with a cute purple fan with a picture of a cute baku on it, drawn in the style of Inazuma. She looks at hers with interest, then she feels a fresh burst of air on her face. She looks to the side to see Ororon moving the fan in her direction.

“How does it feel?” He asks.

Collei giggles, “It’s refreshing, thanks! Here…” She imitates him and for a few minutes they fan each other’s face as they walk back to the shopping alley, until their hands start to tire and they begin their date proper.

“You look pretty, Collei!” Diona says with her mouth full.

“Diona, swallow before you talk!” Eula scolds her gently.

The four girls have regrouped for lunch, and are right in the middle of finishing their dessert in a restaurant on the pier. But the subject of their discussion soon turns to the result of Collei’s little escapade this morning.

Amber smirks, “That little hairpin does look nice in your hair, yeah, but as Diona said, your smile is very pretty today!”

Collei blushes, but she can’t stop smiling anyway as she stares at her empty cup. “Uh, thank you!”

“So? Where did Ororon go?” Amber continues.

“He gave me his address, I’ll see him again when we visit the Masters of the Night Wind.”

“Wait he’s gone already? Damn it, what’s with all these people running away left and right!”

“Not everyone is on vacation like us, Amber. Some people are busy with their work.” Eula pinches her girlfriend’s cheek. “Besides, we’ll get there soon enough after our visit to the Collective of Plenty. Does that work for you Collei? We can always alter our plans if you want.”

“No it’s fine! He told me he still had urgent deliveries to make, but he should be back home in a few days.”

“Look at her, already making plans to meet her lover! Ah, to be young again!” Amber closes her eyes dreamily.

Diona tilts her head, “You’re not that old Amber though?”

And Collei mumbles to herself, “He-He’s not my-my…”

“Collei! There you are!” Furina calls out to her, inadvertently saving her from the increasingly embarrassing conversation.

“Oh hi, are you going already?”

“That’s right. Neuvillette is making sure all our children’s backpacks are ready, so I came out to say good bye.”

“That’s too bad… but we’ll see you at the Stadium, right?”

“Indeed! I hope you can all come to appreciate my song at the music festival! I’m going there with a new stage name, so look for ‘Rolacoffe’ when you get there!”

“Good travels…” Collei starts to get emotional and simply hugs Furina. “See you next time, Furina.”

Her new friend smiles and returns the gesture tenderly. They separate, but she sees her husband appear from the side of her eyes, and her face brighten. Neuvillette comes to greet them all, and all the little Mélusines do the same, in a cacophony of cute good-byes.

Diona doesn’t forget to give a hug to each and everyone of them, greeting each of them by name.

“Monsieur Neuvillette!” she suddenly calls out once she’s done, “You didn’t forget about our deal, right?”

He scoffs gently, “Of course not my dear Diona. I shall make sure to reach out to your establishment for further details.”

The Fontaine family all wave one final good bye, and out they go on their way, Neuvillette at the front, Furina in the back, and all their children in a line, holding their hands two-by-two. The passer-byes let the group cut through the crowd, all marveling at the cute procession.

Once they are out of view, Amber cannot contain her curiosity. “Hey, what’s that about a deal?”

Diona looks back with her hands on her waist and a proud look, “It’s a plan to compete with Mondstadt Wine industry! It’s a secret, so I can’t tell you what it is about. Just know that we should get some new non-alcoholic base for our cocktails very soon at the Cat’s Tail!”

“Oooh no!” Amber laughs, “How will Eula survive without her usual drinks at the end of her work day!”

“What do you mean? It’s not like I’m one of the four drunkards of Mondstadt.” Eula hmphs and turns her head away with a pout.

“Oh yeah? It’s probably because you didn’t reach the semi-finals! And given how much you drank yesterday with Beidou, you would probably rank an honorary fifth place, no contest.” Amber continues to tease, and thankfully Collei has put her hands over Diona’s ears to spare her from the alcoholic conversation.

“Hmph! What insolence! I shall have my revenge for this affront!”

Collei sighs. “Are you done? We all know you’ll end up ‘resolving the situation’ tonight.”

Eula gasps and blushes, “Collei!”

“You know it!” Amber responds with cringy finger guns.

“Anyways,” Collei continues now that she’s got everyone’s attention, “What do we do for the rest of the day?”

“Hot springs!” Amber raises her hand excitedly, the previous subject already forgotten. “I’ve been looking forward to it for so long! Right, Eula?”

“… Is this your revenge for bringing you to Dragonspine’s lakes so many times?”

“Don’t think like that! It’s just a change of pace, that’s all! I love it wherever you come with me!”

Collei nods, and takes out her notepad. “We can do that anytime, but Mualani said it’s better after a good day of activity.”

“Then I want to go surfing!” Amber replies instantly.

“Me too! I want to try that too!”

Everyone looks at Diona who just raised her own little hand excitedly.

“What?” she says, “Just because I don’t like rain doesn’t mean I hate water! Besides, I’m sure I can balance on the surfboard better than Amber!”

“Oh, you’re on little lady!”

Eula and Collei look at Amber and Diona getting excited together.

“Guess that’s our main activity for today. Wanna try too, Eula?”

“No need. I’ll just keep an eye out in case of danger.”

Collei looks at Eula’s face and finds a hint of worry in her eyes. She whispers to her, “Mualani said that the volcano should be calm for the next few days. It’s gonna be ok. Don’t worry, Amber is fine.”

Eula takes a long breath then nods. “You’re right. Let’s make sure they both have fun. What about you Collei?”

“Oh… I’m still a bit sore from yesterday’s pufferball matches. I’ll just get back on kamera duty I guess?”

“I’ll keep you company then. As a bodyguard, if needed.”

Collei chuckles, “Thanks, my kind and reliable knight!”

Eula puffs out her chest with pride, and they both end up laughing.

The sun moves away from the zenith and the afternoon of fun activity can finally start.

At first Amber tries her best to teach Diona how to surf, repeating Mualani’s instructions, but after a few minutes the little cat girl has already absorbed enough information to stand on her board with perfect balance, to Amber’s dismay. She herself keeps falling down, unable to read the waves as she does the wind, contrary to Diona who just uses her low center of gravity and innate sense of balance to stay on her board. Nevertheless, the two of them compete and play among the waves, under the watchful and amused eyes of Eula and Collei who take a lot pictures, sure to rub it in Amber’s face when they are done.

After Diona gets tired, she and Amber go back to the shore, and all of them move back to the beach to play in the ocean. They buy a lighter pufferball to play in the sea, and they spend the rest of the afternoon frolicking in the water at waist height, playing in the ocean and forgetting any of their worries.

Exhausted but satisfied, the four girls finally make their way to the final and main destination of their stay at the People of the Springs: the world famous hot springs.

There is however a small issue at the moment: with the influx of tourists from all over Teyvat, the artificial hot springs with colder water have been expanded, and they are usually mostly used by visitors. However with the recent mini-tsunami, the usual natural hot springs have been polluted with sand and salt water, leading all the locals to move to the artificial pools for their daily soak while they wait for their usual spots to be cleaned up. This leads to interesting mixes of people from Natlan and tourists who usually don’t use the same hot springs.

Which explains how Collei, being the first of her group to be ready, arrives into a pool and finds herself alone with none other than Mavuika, Natlan’s Pyro Archon.

Chapter Text

Natlan’s hot springs are renowned the world over, and with the country’s recent reopening to the outside they have become one of its main touristic attractions. Nevertheless the People of the Springs remain attached to their traditions of soaking in hot water as their main way of socializing, especially at the end of their work day, or really at any time when they find something to celebrate. To make sure everyone gets to enjoy their bathing comfortably, the tribe decided early on to develop artificial springs to cater to people less used to hot temperatures, and extend the available number of pools to welcome a larger number of guests.

There are no strict rules in the natural hot springs where most of the Natlanese natives go to bath, beyond basic decency. In these spots they are used to gather together in the nude, be it with friends or family, although some still prefer to wear some clothes as a fashion item or for more comfort when needed.

But because the tourists have varying degrees of expectations in regard to bathing etiquette and nudity, the artificial springs have been divided into four sections: men, women, mixed, and free. There is an explicit requirement to cover oneself when going to the mixed section, where people are invited to wear swimsuits, robes, or towels, to make sure none of the foreign patrons get uncomfortable. The free section is as its name indicates: anyone can go in with no clothing requirements. These are mostly used by close friends of family not bothered by nakedness with each other, but this is not the most popular choice among tourists.

The women’s or men’s sections tend to be more relaxed in that matter compared to the mixed section, and a small majority of the people using them tend to bathe naked as a default choice among their peers.

On their way to the artificial hot springs, the group of four considers how they are going to bathe on their way to a women’s pool. Amber and Eula are used to skinny dip in Dragonspine’s icy lakes, so they will do the same here. Diona wants to use her koholasaur’s swimsuit again, since that’s what she’s decided to wear any time she goes into the water, as a kind of role play. She might well collect a saurian outfit from all the tribes at this rate. Collei chooses to wear a light bathrobe this time. She debated for a while with herself, but she still doesn’t feel comfortable showing herself completely when other people than her friends might be present. Maybe one day, when she has become more confident.

They make their way to the hot springs to redeem their free entries, and first they go to the washing area, made up of individual stalls next to each other with individual showers. It is of course customary to clean oneself thoroughly before soaking in a shared pool, and they happily wash away the sweat and sand accumulated during their afternoon activities.

“Hm? Oh hey guys!” Mualani’s head pops out of one of the stalls when she hears them talking. “So you chose today to come to the hot springs, eh? Wise choice!”

Amber beams brightly, “Mualani! My ocean buddy, how’s it going?” Already on friendly terms, the two of them dive into an excited conversation.

But Mualani didn’t come alone today, and a little girl with pika ears a tepetlisaur themed swimsuit appears behind her.

“Kachina!” Diona shouts happily. The two little friends that look like saurian whelps throw themselves into each other’s arms and share a warm hug. “What are you doing here? I thought you were stuck in the Children of Echoes?”

“I came here to congratulate Mualani, of course!” Kachina smiles from ear to ear, her day becoming better by the second.

“That’s right! Kachina is my best friend, mind you!” Mualani as usual gets down to rub her cheek against her little friend, who giggles in return. “But don’t worry, I’m willing to share. After all, Kachina has a biiiig heart.”

“Well, then how about we share a hot spring together?” Amber suggests naturally.

“That’s what I was going to say, hot springs are made to be shared with friends! You know what you’re talking about, Amber!” Both of them high five excitedly, under the less excited yet watchful stare of Eula who rolls her eyes but smiles imperceptibly.

“Hold on, I just need to finish cleaning up, and then we can go there together!”

Collei stands to the side wrapped in her bathrobe, a bit overwhelmed by the sudden energy burst of her friends. “Uh, I’ll go ahead and find a place for us to use?”

“Thanks Collei! See you in a bit!” Amber responds with a wave.

Collei lets out a long sigh after getting away from the exhausting group. She walks along the path in search of a pool with enough room for them all to fit in. A lot of them are already occupied, so she keeps walking further until she finds a large pool almost at the end of the path, slightly hidden behind a row of bushes. She looks around tentatively and sees no one. She relaxes, and moves in to dip her toes in the water, until…

“Oh? Hello there young lady.”

There is actually someone here! Hidden by the bushes on the side of the pool! Surprised, Collei slips and falls head first into the hot water with a shriek.

As soon as she hits the water, she feels a pair of strong hands grab her waist and pull her out immediately, so quick that she barely got wet.

“Are you alright? I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Collei looks up, still surprised, but somehow not afraid of the tall lady looking down at her.

The woman holding her securely has an amazing aura that she can hardly put into words. Red hair like fire pulled up in a long wavy ponytail with bright yellow tips, worried red eyes, and the strong facial features of a mature woman, no doubt a proud warrior, marked by age and life’s battles, but still very much in her prime. Collei gasps and confounds herself in apologies, but the woman simply chuckles and puts Collei back on her feet at the side of the pool as though she weights nothing at all.

“Don’t worry I’m the one at fault here. Come on, have a sit. The water may be lukewarm here, but it’s still very pleasant.”

Collei feels the water is actually almost boiling… but she calms down, and sits politely opposite the enigmatic woman.

“I’m Mavuika. Sorry for the little scare. Where do you come from young lady?”

“Trainee Forest Ranger, Collei! At your service, Madam!” Collei instinctively blurts out her go-to introduction, thankfully stopping herself from doing her usual salute. The warrior in front of her exudes such power that she immediately reverted to her guarded and exaggeratedly polite manners.

Mavuika laughs lightly. “At ease, hehe. So you are from Sumeru then? Coming here for business? Or vacation, I hope?”

Collei finally starts to calm down at the harmless questions. “Yes, on vacation! I’m from Sumeru, and my friends are from Mondstadt.”

“Mondstadt, such a far away country… You have all come a long way. Tell me, how do you like Natlan so far?”

“Yes… oh, it’s been incredible! Like we’ve been on an adventure all along, you know? We’ve come through the desert to arrive at the Children of Echoes, then to the Scones of the Canopy, and we’ve been here for a few days now.”

The way the older woman calmly asks her questions gets Collei to think a bit more now, and she finally takes a good look at her hot spring partner. A gorgeous lady no doubt, as tall and big (if not bigger) as Eula, in several ways, which is impressive. As a Natlanese native she obviously came here without anything to cover her naked skin, which appears covered with tattoos and scars like so many others. But those appear to cover a lot more of her body than others, as though her body had been burned and bitten by fiery beasts for years. And instead of hiding those flaws, she has obviously chosen to have tattoos that highlight those battle scars, as a proud memento of her past battles.

Mavuika thoughtfully does not rebuff Collei for looking at her so obviously. She nods, takes one long breath and stands up in the pool, revealing even more scars and paintings.

“Well it has been a pleasure to meet you, Collei, but I have to be on my way. I only came here for a brief respite and I believe your friends are coming this way.”

“Oh! I don’t want to pressure you out or anything, I’m sure there will be enough room for everyone!”

“Don’t worry, I come back here often. Well, I usually go to the natural hot springs of course, but with the volcano’s strange eruption I had to make do. I really need to have this investigated more thoroughly though… Anyways, I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!” Mavuika waves at her, throws a towel over her shoulder and gets out of the pool, not bothering to cover herself more than that.

Left alone in the pool for a moment, Collei starts to relax completely thanks to the soothing waters…

The distant voice of Mavuika reaches Collei’s ears, and she cannot help but overhear.

“Oh my, hello Mualani, and Kachina. I see you brought friends today!”

“Hello Archon! Of course you’d be here… it would’ve been a shame to come all the way and not dip in a little bit!” Mualani responds as cheerfully as ever. “And thanks again for the little gift, you didn’t have to!”

“Nonsense, it’s only right that I congratulate my fellow comrades on their engagement. Now then don’t let me keep you, I believe your friend is waiting for you.”

The little group finally joins Collei, sitting by herself in the large pool.

“Collei? Are you alright?” Amber asks, seeing her blank stare.

“Uh? Oh yeah… So that was the Pyro Archon uh?”

“Ahaha did she not tell you? She comes to the hot springs frequently nowadays,” Mualani says as she walks into the water.

“Wow it’s the first time I met an Archon, I almost freaked out when I realized! I wish Barbatos was walking among us like that as well!” Amber follows and sits next to Mualani. “Come here Eula! It’s ok, it’s not that hot!”

Both Eula and Diona stand by the side of the pool with a grimace on their faces, clearly not thrilled to enter the very hot looking pool.

“Come on, Diona, it’s fine when you get inside!” Kachina pulls her hand gently, but Diona shuts her eyes and… jumps in with a big splash.

“Aaaah! Hot, hot, hot!” she whines, shaking water out of her hair and splashing everyone around. But thankfully she quickly gets used to it and remains in the water with Kachina next to her. They begin to waddle around, both wearing rubber rings since they feet barely reach the bottom of the pool. They squeal happily while they play, chasing each other.

“A-Amber?” Contrary to her usual serene countenance, Eula’s face is a deep shade of red and she is sweating abundantly, her stare stuck helplessly on her girlfriend.

“Come on Chérie! Come join me! Or should I carry into my arms and throw you in the water myself? You know, like you like to do in Dragonspine when –”

“Hmph, there is no way I’d let others witness such an undignified spectacle. Just watch…” Eula clenches her fists and slowly walks into the pool, a rictus on her face, and she manages to barely whimper when she finally gets shoulder deep into the water. Amber silently opens her arms wide, and Eula instinctively moves in for a tender hug – her reward for getting in – before finally sitting down next to her girlfriend after Collei discreetly made room for her.

“So it is true that people with cryo vision are not too good with hot springs…” Mualani wonders aloud, “And here I thought Citlali was just being picky when I tried to drag her in here!”

Collei’s ears perk up. “That’s Ororon’s grandma, right?”

Mualani nods, and they start delving into random stories about their families. Collei doesn’t talk too much about her time before Mondstadt, except for Amber’s part of course, but she talks quite extensively about her new family in Sumeru and her recent adoption.

Mualani on the other hand talks about the war and in particular her late mentor and idol, Aunty Atea. Both Eula and Amber nod, feeling the same respect and love for the one who trained them both and raised them for the most part of their lives.

Diona and Kachina take breaks in their plays to listen to the stories, and the little pika girl is particularly interested in the stories from Mondstadt and Liyue.

The brouhaha of the hot spring enjoyers all around gets drowned for a few seconds when a new volcanic eruption explodes a fair distance away, and the pyroclastic spectacle illuminates the night sky like a giant firework. Contrary to the one that created a mini-tsunami, this one does not come with earthquakes, so Mualani quickly calms down her companions. This every day occurrence is a sight to behold, and for a moment everyone stays silent, looking up at the multicolor sky with smiles on their faces.

The silence however does not last, and some people seem to be approaching their pool. Hidden by the bushes, the group can only hear the newcomers’ excited footsteps coming closer.

“Come on, girls! The last one in the pool is a rotten egg!” one of them clamors with a young and energetic voice, quickly followed by a deafening scream.

“Canonbaaaaall!”

The young girl jumps in the air, curls up into a ball and lands right in the middle of the pool.

SPLASH

No one escapes the huge waves created by the impact of the sudden intruder, and the children scream and hug the closest adults near them.

“Muahaha! Oh wow that water really is hot, they weren’t kidding! Come on Ayaka, Chevy, it’s really good!”

Her two friends stop at the edge of the pool and shake their heads.

“Yoimiya dear… there are people here!” With a humble towel wrapped around her and her fists on her hips, Ayaka scolds her immediately.

“What? Oh! Oh no! I’m so sorry everyone!” Yoimiya quickly bows down in apology when she realizes the damage she has just caused. The group is completely drenched and looks back at her with shock and surprise.

“Sorry about this, guys. Yoimiya can be… very empty headed. Here, have some dry towels.” Chevreuse goes for damage control and immediately tries to diplomatically clear out the incident.

After the shock, Mualani and Amber start to laugh and welcome the new people as though they had done nothing bad. To the side however, Eula has wrapped her arms around Collei, Diona and Kachina to protect them from what looked at first like an attack. Thankfully the girls are not too scared. If anything, Diona is just really angry at having been drenched in water without warning, and she keeps glaring at Yoimiya with silent cackling noises. She keeps her arms around Eula who pats her head in hope of calming her down.

The incident is thankfully quickly resolved, and the new group settles down in their own corner, but close enough to converse with everyone else.

Ayaka with a towel neatly wrapped around her sits between Yoimiya and Chevreuse, who are both simply naked and clearly used to hot springs. Of course they are looked over discreetly by the people around them. Yoimiya’s orange hair is a bit unusual, but she put it up in her usual side ponytail. Her flowery tattoos attract a lot of eyes, but of course her leg prosthetic is what everyone is curious about, though for fear of being indelicate no one dares question her about it.

“Hey, flower lady, why do you have a fake leg?” Diona of course does yet have the filters that most adults gain when they grow up, so she blurts out her question without care.

“Diona! It’s insensitive to ask this kind of question,” Eula rebukes her immediately, and she starts to apologize, but Yoimiya waves her hand.

“Nah, it’s fine! I lost my leg in a fireworks incident when I was little. I got too engrossed in making the biggest explosion in the sky, to illuminate all of Inazuma at once! Obviously it did not go as planned. Pops was so scary that day… So listen up, kids: when playing with fire, always follow the rules! And make sure to have an adult with you if you want to experiment with explosives!”

Diona and Kachina nod fervently. Because of their sensitive ears both of them hate loud noises, so the idea of playing with bombs is far from their idea of fun. Diona does think about her friend from Mondstadt, Klee, who would very much like this Yoimiya girl. But it looks so dangerous… She makes a mental note to check up on her friend and warn her.

“Speaking of fireworks, did you see that volcano eruption a minute ago? That was awesome!” To make sure she doesn’t keep the atmosphere too serious, Yoimiya changes the conversation to a subject everyone can contribute.

Right next to Yoimiya sits Ayaka herself, her thin white hair in a bun and her pristine skin protected her towel. She has a nervous look, probably as she is not used to being with so many people as once. Or maybe it is the heat of the bath, which she is clearly not used to.

Chevreuse, on the other side of Ayaka, sits crossed legs and her arm around Ayaka’s shoulder. With her purple hair in a high ponytail and an eye patch, she looks pretty intimidating at first sight, but she also attracts a lot of attention. She catches Diona glaring at her.

“What is it kiddo?” she asks. “If you got a question just shoot.”

“… You have weird scars, pirate lady,” Diona says, immediately jumping at the question.

Chevreuse is slightly taken aback, since she was expecting the usual question about why she wears an eye patch, but it turns out the child thinks she’s “just” a pirate… She looks down at her trained body and realizes what the little cat girl meant.

“Ah, first time seeing bullet wounds? It’s true that not many people use firearms outside of Fontaine.”

“What’s that? A fire arm?”

“Think of it as a small portable cannon that you can hold in your hands. It can shoot bullets very fast, and it can leave that kind of wounds. Actually,” she bends down closer to whisper to the children who are listening closely, “I’ve still got a couple of bullets stuck inside me. The surgeon said that removing them would do more harm than good.”

Diona, Kachina – and Collei who was eavesdropping – all gasp. Chevreuse, happy with their reactions, flexes her arms to show off some more of her scars, each with its own story.

Diona keeps asking questions, and before long the others join in. Mualani picks the right time to bring out bottles of ice cold fruit cocktails, which she distribute to everyone, to rave reviews. The cool, soothing juices contrasts sublimely with the hot bath and many ask for another glass, with Eula, Ayaka and Diona being the most demanding. The subjects of discussion vary widely, and the groups split up and merge depending on the topic. At some point, a particular group forms.

Amber, Mualani, Yoimiya. The three high energy girls, who are clearly enjoying the heat the most, quickly become the loudest group of them all. They laugh and tease each other as though they have been buddies for many years, and their subject of conversation go from what their respective bathing experience (hot, cold, artificial or natural), their preferred sports and activities, and of course their current relationships.

Mualani’s engagement to Kinich is of course an opportunity for them to congratulate her profusely. Amber’s open relationship with Eula is easy to discuss with Amber throwing many praises towards her girlfriend, who turns her head away in embarrassment. She tries not to go in too much details about Eula’s family issues, which they have yet to resolve. Finally, Yoimiya tries to stay discreet about her current status, but she feels enough kinship with he two new friends to confide to them a little secret.

“So, this has to stay between us,” she whispers after all three have huddled together at the end of the bath. The other two nod seriously, and Yoimiya continue. “See I’m Ayaka’s guide… officially. And Chevreuse is Ayaka’s bodyguard… officially.”

Amber and Mualani both nod again, but Mualani is the first to read between the lines.

“You mean…”

“Yep! I’m Ayaka’s girlfriend, and Chevreuse is Ayaka’s girlfriend too!” She beams, but for the first time since they met she appears incredibly demure and shy, with a slight blush on her cheeks. “You don’t think it’s… bad, right? People in Inazuma are incredibly judgy about that kind of relationship, so we try to stay discreet.”

“Nope. My friend, I’m from Mondstadt, the city of Freedom! This kind of thing is not common but it’s pretty much accepted where I’m from.”

“Hmm…” Mualani thinks for a while, “Is it serious? Like, is it mostly for… ‘skinship’, or do you think you want to go further?” With her recent engagement, she cannot help but ask this kind of long term question.

“I… we do love each other, we’re not together just for ‘cuddling’. Although that’s one of the things I like to do the most, of course.”

The other two agree.

“But we haven’t really thought that far ahead… For now we’re just exploring our relationship, and we love making Ayaka discover new things!” She laughs, and her tender look to the side towards Ayaka and Chevreuse does not escape her partners in crime. “Anyways! Say girls, if you ever come to Inazuma, please visit my workshop! Naganohara Fireworks! I’ll make sure to have custom made fireworks for you!”

“Ha! Then if you come to Mondstadt, I’ll give you the whole tour from the Thousand Wind temple to Dragonspine, and I’ll show you the best taverns! You’ll see if you like ice bath too then, hehe!”

“Well, since you’re already on my home turf, allow me to offer you some more drinks and snacks! Hold on I’ll get some more!”

While Chevreuse tells stories of intrigue and mysteries to Diona and Kachina, Collei and Ayaka are in deep discussion about their respective countries relative Archons, and the stark contrast between their way of ruling.

Amber and Eula have moved to a corner of the pool and stay silent, hand in hand, as they look up at the starry sky together. Amber absentmindedly rests her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder and she sings one of those distant lullabies her grandfather used to sing for her. She forgot the lyrics long ago, so she just hums the melody as she relaxes with the love of her life so close to her.

“Uh? Ayaka? Are you ok?” Collei asks when she realizes that her talking partner is starting to faint.

Mualani perks up and rushes to their side. “Hmm… yep she’s overheating. Let’s get her out of the bath!” With Collei and Chevreuses’s help Ayaka is quickly brought out of the pool and Collei gets out her paper fan to try and cool Ayaka’s red skin. Cautiously and after making sure no one could steal a peek, they pull her towel off for a little bit to make sure she cools off quickly enough.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t checking on her!” Collei says, “It should have been obvious she was too hot with such pink color on her face!”

“It’s fine, Collei, you caught her before things got serious.” Mualani reassures her and explains what to do when someone overheats in a hot spring. Ayaka quickly comes back to and her two girlfriend surround her with worried looks on their faces. She smiles and tells them she is ok, but they refuse to let her back into the bath anymore.

The little disruption is a good time for all of them to get out and go back home for a good night’s rest. Yoimiya and Chevreuse are the first to go with Ayaka between by them. They mention wanting to go to the Stadium at the center of Natlan the next day, and Amber suggest they make part of the journey together.

Mualani leaves afterwards with a sleepy Kachina. The little girl is currently a guest at her home, and Mualani simply carries her the rest of the way.

The last to go are our group of tourists. Eula proudly gets out of the bath, ostensibly seeking praises from her girlfriend after spending so much time in such hot water. Amber, of course, doesn’t stop babbling and lauding Eula’s prowess, especially given her initial repulsion. Eula’s cheeks burn from the over-exaggerated praises, and for once she forgets to threaten her girlfriend with retributions.

The last ones to go are Collei and Diona. The little cat girl is almost asleep already, just like her Natlanese friend who she hopes to see again tomorrow for a proper good bye. She actually got used to the hot spring very quickly, and the heat became incredibly comfortable for her, so much so that she refused to go back at first. Collei smiles and carries her in her arms. They talk for a while on the path to their hotel, trailing right behind Eula and Amber who walk silently hand in hand. But Diona is already asleep when they reach their room.

Collei has to wake her up just so they can do a quick obligatory wash up, before brushing their teeth and changing into their saurian-themed pajamas.

And into their welcoming beds they go.

After a long day full of activities and meeting so many people, Collei’s social batteries are all but empty. Yet she enjoyed herself so much… Thankfully the next day they plan to depart from the People of the Springs, and make their way to a most exciting – and maybe dangerous – location: the Collective of Plenty!

Chapter Text

“So, you’ll travel to the Stadium together with Lady Ayaka’s group, and then split up to make your way to Atocpan to the Collective of Plenty. Noted. ”Amina nods. “I hope you enjoyed your stay in the Toyac Springs with us!”

Eula says her final good bye to the Chief of the People of the Spring before joining back with her group, already ready with bags on their backs and smiles on their faces.

“We’re all set, everyone. Now let’s proceed, we may be leaving early but we have a long road ahead if we want to reach the Collective of Plenty’s settlement before dusk.”

“Agreed, let’s move, ladies.” Ayaka follows suite as the de facto representative of her own small group of three, made up of herself and her two girlfriends, Yoimiya and Chevreuse.

“Wait!” Diona shouts before running off to two familiar people walking towards them. “Kachina! You came to say goodbye!”

“Of course! have a nice trip Diona.” The two little friends hug tightly and rub their cheeks affectionately, sad to separate a second time already.

“Make sure to write to me, and come to Mondstadt to visit!”

Mualani stands a few steps behind, yawning and obviously still slightly sleepy. She woke up this early to accompany her friend for her good byes, as well as bid farewell to the groups. They both wave at everyone when Kachina joins her, and the big group finally departs, some with a few wet eyes.

The road to the Stadium they chose is not direct: instead of walking around the hot springs to the North and cutting through a rock wall to access a steep path down, they instead chose to follow the shores to the North West of the Hot Springs region, so that they can split up closer to the path that leads to the volcano. The ground along the shoreline is pretty flat and covered in hips-high green grass, making it harder to walk through. The road is faint or inexistent at times, due to its reduced usage. As a result they barely meet anyone else, which adds to the feeling of exploration and adventure that they seek.

“Look! A tatankasaur family!” Diona whispers excitedly atop Eula’s shoulders.

The rest follows her pointed finger to find three massive saurians with purple hide and massive horns peacefully grazing on the open plain, with one clearly smaller, a whelp apparently very young, playing mindlessly in a patch of flowers. When it hears the group of human getting close it gets sheepish and runs to its parents to hide behind them. The other two adults however barely look back, assured by their incredibly massive bodies that few natural enemies could be a threat to them – even humans. Beware these peaceful-looking creatures, especially when they have a whelp to protect.

“Oh my Archon, the baby looks so cute! I want to give it a hug!” Yoimiya squeals and is quickly met with a stern “sh” sound from everyone around. “Oh, sorry, sorry!” she pipes down quickly.

Amber by her side is of the same opinion, “The little one looks so soft, I agree. And its big round eyes? Adorable.”

“I knew we had a lot in common Amber,” Yoimiya replies with sparkles in her eyes. “I should have known when you showed me that cute plushy of yours!”

Chevreuse scoffs a few steps behind as she looks at the two excited new friends. “I think you especially like that it’s a dangerously explosive ordnance. I don’t think that would be legal back in Fontaine. You Mondstadt people and your lack of regulations…”

“Oh, I have a few to spare, I can give you one of my Baron Bunnies!” Amber suggests.

Collei looks on suspiciously. “Without the explosive bit, right? We’ve had a… few incidents in the recent past.”

“What? Of course with the fireworks inside!” Yoimiya replies, outraged.

“I would have thought you’d know the difference between an explosive and a firework by now.” Chevreuse added.

“It’s the same thing, when it comes down to it!”

“With this mindset you’ll end up losing your other leg, Yoi.”

Everyone else gasped.

“Chevreuse! What are you saying!” Ayaka says, appalled.

“Mwahaha! Nah, you’re right.” Yoimiya immediately diffuses the incident, not bothered in the slightest. “I’m glad you’re worried about me though, Chevy! Come here, let me give you a hug!”

“Not in public, you touch starved mut!” Despite her vehement refusal, Chevreuse admits defeat and let’s herself get embraced by the usual bear hug from her girlfriend, a small blush appearing on her cheeks.

“Hm…” Eula observes from afar with Ayaka next to her and Diona on her back. “I can handle one pyro lass, but two at once? You are brave, Lady Ayaka.”

Ayaka’s face becomes as red as a her girlfriends’ visions. “Oh, it’s fine they usually take turns, otherwise I get overwhelmed pretty quickly. And they are very gentle always.”

Eula pauses for a moment with squinted eyes. Ayaka gasps at her misunderstanding.

“Oh! You meant… in public like this? Oh Archons… I didn’t… please forget what I said.”

“Pfft, your face is all red Ayaka!” Diona giggles, “Just like Eula’s when Amber gives her a kiss!”

“…You!” Joining Ayaka in red colored embarrassment, Eula coughs to try and dispel the topic.

“Alright guys… Why don’t we move on? We still have a long road ahead?” Collei says with a defeated tone. Having observed the whole circus of all these girls boasting about their love lives, she feels a bit irritated. Thankfully the rest agrees and the walk resumes towards the North.

“I want to hunt.” Diona’s demand is very firm, but expected. In these open plains there are a plenty of herbivores, mostly deer and some fowl. Amina already informed them on which ones can be hunted, but only one ever few days to avoid disturbing the ecosystem. A few species are protected, like the penguins, so Collei made sure to note down everything.

“Right! Let’s make a hunting party!” Amber remembers her promise to Diona a few days ago when the little cat girl got too excited by the fauna in the middle of the Savannah. “We can treat that as a break, right? We’ve been walking a while already, and it’s almost noon.”

Eula and Ayaka exchange a glance and nod. “Agreed. Anyone else wants to join the hunting party?”

“I’ll go, if you don’t mind,” Chevreuse raises her hand. “I can’t use my gun in the wild since I don’t have a hunting permit for it, but I’m very good at spotting and trajectories, as well as safety. It’s easy to get sidetracked and ambushed by another predator when you are hunting. Especially in unfamiliar lands.”

“Then Diona will be our scout to find an appropriate prey, I’ll be the shooter with my bow, and Chevreuse will assist us both.” Amber takes charge immediately, and the other two agree. “Will you all be alright?”

“Of course, I know how eager you’ve both been to hunt something,” Eula dismisses them. “Collei, not interested?”

“I usually wouldn’t say no, but I want to conserve my stamina. I still don’t have as much endurance as you all.”

“Very reasonable. Tighnari taught you well, moderation is a key skill to possess.”

“And I’ll stay with Ayaka.” Yoimiya smiles, “Someone has to make sure she doesn’t overheat from the sun like she did yesterday.”

“That was from the hot spring, and we’re sitting under a tree. I’ll be fine.”

“Good, then I’ll make sure to light up a quick fire and a prep some veggies while we wait for the meat. We’re counting on you guys, don’t let us down! I’m already getting hungry!” Yoimiya laughs.

The hunting party departs, all excited but focused on their important task.

The group is surprisingly efficient despite forming in a hurry. Of course Amber and Diona already know each other and often hunt together in the woods of Mondstadt for boars or birds, but Chevreuse’s addition changes things up, for the better it turns out. Instead of disturbing the group’s dynamic, she somehow manages to smooth out communication and they move around quickly. Every time they take a break, she teaches them a few hands signals from her military training, all designed for quick and silent speech. Instead of relying on their usual basic signs like “over there”, “you wait here”, etc. Amber and Diona learn how to give more precise instructions, and they learn very quickly, to Chevreuse’s satisfaction.

Two deer in this direction, one hundred steps away, Diona signs. One of them is weak, but the other one is strong and alert. Attack?

No, avoid. We aim for a straggler, Amber confirms.

Roger, let’s move that way. Chevreuse signs. Herd of tatankasaurs in the other direction, very dangerous if disturbed as a group.

They soon find a potential prey: a young looking but single deer, possibly excluded from its herd after losing a battle for leadership. One of its horns is broken, a sign that he lost pretty decisively.

Diona cackles silently, eager to get moving, and the other two don’t need more discussion to settle on the attack. Chevreuse looks around carefully, making sure there is not a herd getting closer (in case it is actually not a straggler), and she describes the wind direction: a pretty strong downwind breeze with some quick shifts to the sides, which will need to be taken into account.

Amber notches an arrow and readies her bow. She looks at Chevreuse’s instructions and slowly stands up above the grass, bow at the ready. When she hunts like this she removes her characteristic rabbit eared headband, and only the top of her brown hair can be seen, blending seamlessly with the few trees behind her. The buck raises its head, alerted by some movement in the bushes nearby. Amber holds her breath and remains still, yet moving slightly as though swayed by the winds flowing through the grass in front of her, perfecting her cover.

The deer turns back to eating the grass at its feet, and Amber readies herself. One last look at Chevreuse, a nod, and she arms her bow, stretching in one move to aim a few steps in front of the beast. She let’s go of the string and the arrow flies. The wind bends its path, and it pierces the animal’s hide deep enough to reach its heart. It falls, dead on the spot.

Diona makes biscuits on the ground, eager to move in, but waits for her partners to confirm the kill.

“Great job everyone!” Chevreuse says out loud, “The way is clear, let’s claim our prize!”

They all hurry to retrieve their prey before another predator gets too interested.

“Watch out!” Chevreuse stops them in their tracks.

All of a sudden a giant red bird falls from the sky and lands right behind the fallen deer with a scary look on its face. The cucusaur shrieks intimidatingly to make the hunters flee and abandon their hard earned prize.

“Nope, you’re not getting that.” In a prepared emergency counterattack, Chevreuse takes Amber’s Baron Bunny’s doll and throws it the beast’s direction. Diona immediately throws her own cryo element to infuse the doll with her icy power, and Amber quickly aims and let’s her pyro arrow fly. The fiery projectile hits the foot of the plushy in mid air, right next to the qucusaur’s head, triggering its explosion, with its power multiplied by the melt reaction.

“Rooar!” The big bird-like saurian steps away just in time, barely hurt but shocked by the massive explosion. After a few more threatening roars, it flies off, abandoning its ambush.

“Phew, for a moment I thought we’d have to go back empty handed. Well done team!” Amber high five both her team members. The hunt had been more thrilling, a new tale to recount around a campfire!

“No Amber. You hunted, so now you relax. You need to cook.”

“But Collei, I want to show them how we cook meat in Mondstadt!”

“We don’t want to poison our new friends, Amber dear. Go on, Diona, you can make it Springvale style.” Eula traps Amber in her arms, and despite her protests she quickly settles down, pouting but very much enjoying the arms of her lover, as ever.

“Ooh, so you come from a village of hunters Diona? No wonder you were so eager,” Yoimiya says excitedly as she finishes cutting some root vegetables.

Diona beams with pride. “That’s right! I may be working as a bartender at the moment, but my real calling is to become the best hunter in Teyvat!”

“Audacious goals, I’ll root for you,” Chevreuse chuckles. “You are indeed very good at spotting preys, I was impressed back there.”

“You sure you don’t want any help?” Amber mumbles.

“No!” Eula, Collei and Diona all shout out at the same time, bringing their companions to laugh out loud at the comical interactions. Yoimiya gets curious as to why they are all so wary of Amber’s cooking talents… Surely she couldn’t be as bad as the Electro Archon herself? She makes a mental note to meet with Amber another time to taste her cooking, if anything it’s a good excuse to go visit!

The fresh meat is well grilled, and everyone voraciously devours the hearty meal. The hike has made them way more hungry than they expected, so much so that they barely have anything left at the end.

“Woof, I’m stuffed, you sure you don’t want to become a cook, Diona? You’d make a great chef,” Amber suggests.

“Nah. Brooks told me the same thing when she taught me, but I’m not particularly interested. I prefer to keep it as a hobby.”

“Good call,” Chevreuse says after swallowing. “They say you should find a job that you like so you won’t feel like you are toiling every day of your life, and that’s true for sure, but working with something you consider a hobby can destroy the appeal you had for it in the first place. It’s like people who like to write, but become miserable when they actually get a job as writers.”

“Or it can be the best job ever!” Yoimiya retorts, her mouth half full.

“Yoi dear, finish eating before you speak!” Ayaka takes out her handkerchief and cleans up her girlfriend’s dirtied cheek.

Collei recognize the familiar gesture and chuckles. “You really behave a lot like Amber, Yoimiya. If Chevreuse wasn’t here I’d think that’s how all pyro women are like…”

Ayaka smiles mischievously, “Well, you should see Chevreuse after a few glasses of wine…”

“Hey, that was just one time! I hadn’t eaten all day, so the alcohol went straight into my blood. Gosh, that was so embarrassing…” Chevreuse hides her face, eager to avoid the subject.

“More than one time! Your dancing was top notch and a sight for sore eyes,” Yoimiya adds, avoiding a slow slap from Chevreuse who is still all red in the face.

“See! I told you alcohol was bad!” Diona jumps in place, happy to make her agenda known to everyone once again.

The meal continues in good humor, but they soon have to resume their trip, despite a few of them yearning for a good nap after such a feast.

“That must not have been easy to learn how to walk with a prosthetic. Master told me that you can get phantom pain, and that a large part of getting better is with good support. How was it for you, if you don’t mind me asking?” Collei walks side by side with Yoimiya as they talk about the time she got injured.

“Well, it’s not something to be proud of, but with the constant battles during the civil war it has become quite usual for soldiers to come back from combat with a missing limb or two, so we’ve become pretty good at prosthetic production and usage. Of course I got hurt way before the war really started so at the time there wasn’t really a lot of people familiar with that kind of injury.”

“How did you hold up? It sounds like it’s barely bothering you at all anymore.”

“Well, I had my parents, of course, and my friends. But I think I got the most help from Mizuki.”

“Who’s that? Another friend of yours?” Collei asks.

“No, she’s… well we are friends now, but her job is to help people with mental health issues. I wasn’t exactly thrilled when my parents brought me to her, but she really helped me move on. Without her I might still be stuck in Inazuma and afraid of touching fireworks again.”

Yoimiya recounts her convalescence with an endearing smile, and Collei listens intently.

“Uh… do you mind if I take some notes? I’m studying to be a therapist myself, and I’d love to keep a record of your journey.”

“Of course, knock yourself out!”

“Hm… is Madam Mizuki still in activity? Maybe I could visit her. It sounds like I could learn a lot from her.”

“Oh yeah, she’s a youkai, she’ll probably keep working for a few more centuries!”

Collei pauses for a second, but returns to her writing immediately after. If she plans to visit Inazuma, she’ll have to get more information about the place to not get surprised by everything when she gets there.

Meanwhile Ayaka is deep in discussion with Eula about their sword skills, which leads them to a surprising conclusion.

“… so it is very much like a dance,” she finishes her description of her own fighting technique.

“The caliber of our weapons may be different, but it is striking how our fighting philosophies are so alike,” Eula nods, a serious look on her face.

Ayaka falls silent, before speaking again in an almost formal way, “Lady Eula, would be interested in a spar?” The tall woman from Mondstadt has a very obvious elegance to her, which makes sense given her aristocratic background, although she wasn’t particularly thrilled to discuss the subject. She feels captivated by her, not as a partner like Yoimiya or Chevreuse, but hopefully as a new friend. And when Ayaka gets close enough to her friends, she opens up and often ends up asking for a friendly challenge. After all, there are things that voices cannot communicate as well as clashing swords.

Eula is quick to accept. “A wonderful idea. Tell you what, if we arrive ahead of time at the Stadium we might as well find a suitable place to dance.”

“Wonderful! I cannot wait!”

Chevreuse overhears the challenge both of the leaders just agreed on. “500 mora Ayaka wins the match.”

Amber scoffs, “Bet.”

“Betting is bad!” Diona growls on Amber’s shoulders. “Almost as bad as alcohol addiction.”

“Relax, it’s just a play, we’re not getting in serious debt over that,” Chevreuse reaches out to pet Diona’s hair, but she gets pat away by her gloved paw.

“Hiss!”

“Ahahaha it’s alright Diona, let’s just cheer for Eula together!” Amber picks up the pace, “now let’s run a bit, I’m getting tired just walking around like this. Let’s go!” They are racing around tirelessly up and down the path, until they arrive at top of a hill and stop, awed by the view.

“Guys hurry up! We’ve arrived at the stadium!”

After everyone joins them, the whole group takes a break to admire the capital city of Natlan from afar.

The center of Natlan, home of the Pyro Archon, nestled in the middle of a giant basin.

The Six tribe’s Pilgrimage most holy ground.

The Stadium of the Sacred Flame.

Chapter Text

“Look at the size of that flame! It must be so hot inside the city… Are you sure you are going there, Ayaka? I think you’re going to melt!” Diona asks when the rest joins them at the top of the hill they just ran to.

“Hihi, don’t worry little Diona, I’m told the people there are most hospitable.” Ayaka arrives with Yoimiya by her side, and her eyes grow bigger in an instant.

“Holy sparkles, look at that! The colors, the intensity! And in broad daylight at that! The sight at night must be incredible!”

Chevreuse gives her a small tap with her elbow, “But I suppose it still needs some fireworks?”

“Of course! Ehe!”

Collei distributes water to everyone. Now that they’ve almost reached their first destination of the day, the time is just right to make sure everyone is in good shape. She avoids a wild bear hug from Amber as a thank you, and steps closer to Eula who seems deep in thought. “What is it? Looking for something?”

“Oh? Ah, thanks for the water, Collei.” She takes the bottle and drinks avidly, but continues to look around. “I am just looking around for a suitable place for our duel with Ayaka. We need a flat piece of land to make things fair, but the place is all slanted towards the basin surrounding the Stadium.”

“Maybe we can ask some people around? Since we’re getting closer to the capital of the nation of war, I would be surprised if there wasn’t any kind of training facilities around.”

“Good point.” Eula turns and shouts, “Amber! What’s the best way to reach the Stadium from here? Do you see a path?”

“Yes Captain, to the North, about ten minutes of walk tops! I see a few people and saurian-pulled carts!” the Outrider reports almost immediately after scouring the surrounding. The eyes of an Outrider are nothing to trifle with indeed.

“Pfft, at ease,” Eula huffs with a smile, and turns back to Collei. “Shall we go then? The sun will not wait for us.”

Everyone else agrees and they quickly make their way out of the waist-high grass of the plains, down to meadows of shorter length. The large plains before had a few herds here and there, but this part of Natlan has numerous herds of tatankasaurs, each one bigger than the ones they saw until now.

“Ew! Look out where you’re walking everyone, there’s dung everywhere!” Amber jumps back and warns the others aloud after averting an embarrassing step.

“Such large herds close to a highly populated area… are those domesticated saurians?” Ayaka wonders.

“I guess. But what are they used for? I don’t think people use them for food…” Collei asks, almost rhetorically. She jots a few notes on her notepad, a reminder to ask around next time they meet someone from the region.

“I don’t know, but I think there is one running at us at full speed, guys,” Chevreuse says with barely a hint of panic in her voice.

“What??” The group gets on high alert and, following the orders of their two leaders, starts to walk away at a brisker pace. Collei keeps looking back nervously at the approaching threat, but she makes sure to follow her group and keep Diona’s hand firmly in hers. Just as Chevreuse just warned, a large cloud of dirt forms in the wake of something coming towards them at an incredible speed. The noise of heavy steps on the ground gets closer, and they start running in two directions in their usual groups, one made of Amber, Eula, Collei and Diona, and the other made of Ayaka, Yoimiya and Chevreuse.

“Brace yourselves! Diona, you walk in front of us, I’ll stay behind to stave off the threat.”

“Ok, I’ll give you a shield then!”

“Thank! Amber, Collei, watch out for the flanks, and be ready to run away with Diona if things get dire.”

Amber scoffs, “Don’t say that, I’m sure we’ll be fine! At worst it’s just a wild beast. You can take care of it, I’m sure.”

“Yeah, and look, the others are getting ready too!” Collei points at Ayaka, sword out and poised to strike, with Chevreuse and Yoimiya already infusing their weapons with pyro power to complement her.

“Good, they look alright on their own. It’s coming! Everyone get ready!”

The rumbling sound akin to a herd of trampling beasts gets closer, and they finally make out the origin of the noise. It is not a herd, nor is it a tatankasaur, or any kind of monster.

It looks like someone running head first with large horns on top of their head, with long pink hair flowing all around them.

The sight is strange, but Eula still prepares herself to divert the enemy’s path if needed, for the attacker shows no sign of slowing down or veering away. She digs her heels into the ground and plants her claymore in front of her, waiting for the impending bolide to reach her.

Within a heartbeat, the speeding threat is in front of Eula. Prepared, she tenses her whole body, crouches down and lowers the hilt of her sword, the point still stuck in the ground. As soon as the horns of the attacker touch the flat part of her claymore, she jerks the hilt up in a calculated motion to create a sort of springboard, with just enough force to divert the rush and throw the person high up in the air. Why try and block a frontal assault when you can divert it all with minimal effort?

“Waaaaaah?!” The runner screams and stays in the air a surreal amount of time, so high that Amber thinks for a moment that they might be flying, but they quickly come back straight down and crash back on the ground.

“Awww! My butt… Aaah…”

“It’s not a tatankasaur,” Diona says, incredulous. “It’s a big lady… with big horns, like a cow?”

“She doesn’t look too much like a threat to me…” Amber adds. “If nothing else, she’s got very cute clothes. Not what a warrior or treasure hoarder would wear.”

Collei takes a few tentative steps towards the fallen girl, Eula very close to her to guarantee her safety just in case the innocent-looking woman turns out to be an actual danger.

“Hello, miss? Are you ok?”

The horned woman stands back up from the crater she just made on the ground, rubbing her behind but with no obvious serious injury.

“Uh? Oh? Oh no! Did I almost run you over? I’m so sorry!”

“It’s alright, nobody’s hurt on our side. My name is Collei, and this is Eula. What’s your name?” Collei continues.

“Ehem! My name is Varesa, warrior and guide of the Collective of Plenty! Reporting for duty!”

The young lady suddenly stands straight up and hurries through an obviously rehearsed introduction, followed by the usual greeting gesture that Natlan people like to give. Amber and Collei look at each other and nod with a wry smile.

Eula on the other hand still looks at her with suspicion. “Young lady, things could have turned out much more severely. If we weren’t prepared, somebody could have been hurt greatly!”

“I’m so, so sorry! I heard from Chief Acatl that we were expecting some tourists to go through the trail from the Stadium. And since guests usually prefer to arrive by our port to the North, very few non-local people dare take the path since it’s usually so dangerous! I didn’t think there would be anyone around here!”

“Right, we did decide to take that path just so we could accompany lady Ayaka and her retinue,” Eula nods. “So it sounds like you might have been sent here just for us… sorry for the trouble, lady Vanessa. Oh, I mean Varesa.”

Amber jumps in place, “Ah ha! I knew I wasn’t the only one who thought that name sounded vaguely familiar!” A wide smile appears on her face as she prods Eula with her finger.

“What’s that about? Someone you know?” Varesa asks, not hiding her curiosity.

“Vanessa is a Legendary figure back in Mondstadt. She is the founder of the Knights of Favonius, of which both Amber here and myself are proud members. The tale says that she came from Natlan, when her tribe emigrated centuries ago.”

“A legendary fighter from Natlan I’ve never heard of?? Oh please, tell me more!” Varesa cannot contain her excitement, and even Diona playing with her swinging cow-like tail can’t seem to disturb her.

“Not so fast,” Amber interrupts the history lesson, “Let’s quickly regroup with the others first.”

Ayaka, Chevreuse and Yoimiya join back when they realize the lady who has run head first into them is really just a sweet woman, sent as a guide for the tourists from Mondstadt and Sumeru.

Chevreuse keeps a scowl on her face as she lectures Varesa, notepad in hand. “Reckless speed, potentially resulting in the endangerment of seven people, including one child. Do you have any idea how fast you were going, Ma’am?”

“I’m sorry.” Unable to say anything more, Varesa keeps her head down.

“If we were in Fontaine I’d be in my right to arrest you, or at the very least to give you a hefty fine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Do you always run head first like that, looking at the ground and without a care in the world?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Listen, you sound like a sweet gal, so I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but don’t let me catch you doing that again.”

A few feet away Ayaka and Yoimiya witness the scene, whispering to each other.

“I’ve never seen Chevreuse in work mode before… she looks so strict. Yikes!” Yoimiya says. “Reminds me of the lectures I get from the doushin back home when I get a bit too enthusiastic with my explosions.”

Ayaka mumbles something, but too quietly for Yoimiya to hear.

“What? Speak louder!”

“… I think she looks kind of hot,” Ayaka repeats, a blush invading her usually fair skinned face.

“Pfft… did Chevy awaken something new in you? Wanna do some role play tonight?”

“Hush, people might hear you!” Ayaka replies with a panicked stutter, “Let’s talk about that some other time, alright?”

“Yes my lady, as you wish!”

Ayaka gives her a little angry tap to her shoulder, unable to make the red on her face fade away.

“A sparring arena? Of course we have lots of them, b-but why?” Varesa asks apprehensively. “You don’t want to publicly punish me, are you?”

“Lady Ayaka and myself were hoping to have a friendly duel before we part ways,” Eula says.

“Oh!” Varesa’s eyes light up suddenly, “A duel between two fighters from abroad? I can’t believe I’m about to witness that!” Gone is her shy demeanor, and an eager smile appears on her face. “Follow me, I know just the place. Iansan’s Advanced Training Outpost is right around the corner!”

“Diona, stop chasing miss Varesa’s tail, it’s impolite,” Eula scowls.

“It’s fine, I love playing with children!” Varesa laughs while Diona absentmindedly pats the swinging pink tail as though hypnotized.

“So… fluffy…”

“And Amber, don’t imitate Diona. How old are you?”

Amber removes her hand before she even has time to touch the tail. She steps back, a little pout on her face. Meanwhile Collei turns around. She was also planning to go and play with the alluring tail… Thankfully she stopped herself before anyone saw her, and Amber was the one who got scolded. Unlike when she tries to caress Tighnari’s tail or ears back home. But who could blame her? With Diona refusing to get her tail touched most of the time, she hasn’t met her fluff quota in days.

“Anyways, we’re almost set for the duel.” Eula says. “Come here Diona, your shield should be quite helpful as an additional safeguard. We both wear a bit of armor, but I’d rather we take as many precautions as possible.”

“Ok… Hey, miss Cow, can I play with you later?”

“Of course. And call me Varesa, please!”

“Ok miss Varesa Cow!”

The place they chose is right next to the road leading to the Stadium, and the reason for that path being so well traveled is in part due to the popularity of the Training Outpost. It’s a large area flattened and built to harbor miscellaneous training equipments of all kinds: barbels, weights, hoops and other ropes are few of many tools. The training ground was already lively, occupied by warriors coming from the Stadium to train. But when the group of tourists arrived, and word got around that two outlanders were going to have a duel at the sparring arena, everyone stopped their routine and hurried to get a good place to watch the match.

“That’s quite a lot more people than I expected…” Ayaka mumbles in the middle of the ring.

“Don’t worry, I shall make this quick. You won’t have time to feel embarrassed,” Eula replies with a smirk, while she finishes her stretching.

Ayaka shakes her head and puffs her chest in reply, an icy smile on her face. “Already taunting your opponent? Be careful, you might eat your words in a few moments.”

Varesa stands a few steps to the side, looking overwhelmed by the amount of spectators around.

“Um, sorry for the audience, everyone looked very curious as soon as I reserved the ring…”

“It’s fine,” both of the fighters say at the same time, keeping their eyes on their opponent, already in the mood to fight.

Right to the side, the two groups cheer for their respective fighter: Amber and Collei scream at the top of their lungs to support their dear friend Eula.

“Kick her butt Eula, you’ve got this in the bag!”

“B-Be careful not to get hurt! I know you can win this!”

On the other side of the ring, Yoimiya and Chevreuse shout their support at their mutual lover, Ayaka.

“You got this, Aya! Show them our Inazuman pride!”

“If you lose you’re getting punished tonight. Get her!”

Diona has been recruited as Varesa’s assistant to provide a shield to the contenders, but she still sends her own kind of encouragement towards Eula. “If you win, I might consider possibly making you a cocktail.”

Varesa takes a big breath and puts a strange mask over her eyes. All of a sudden, it’s like she’s a different person.

“Is everybody ready for the match of the year??” she screams at the top of her lung, making everyone including the fighters jump in surprise. But the Natlanese audience seems used to her antics and they immediately start to shout and scream in response.

“To my left! Lady Kamisato Ayaka, pride of Inazuma! She learned to wield the sword before she could even talk, an elegant yet deadly lady from the country of the electro Archon. Coming here to visit our glorious country with her retinue, she may have a cryo vision but she is on fire today! Give it up for Ayaka!”

Loud applause erupts from all around, and a suspicious number of fireworks explode above the arena.

“To my right! Lady Eula Lawrence, the Spindrift Knight of Mondstadt! She forfeited her family’s pride to forge her own destiny among the Knights of Favonius. Also holder of a cryo vision, yet part of the Knights who were founded by Lady Venessa from Natlan, her fighting prowess shall be on display today! Please welcome Eula!”

Her name and unexpected affiliation, a distant link to their own nation, brings enough cheers to drown out Amber’s screams of support.

“The rules are simple,” Varesa continues, “Best of three touches wins the game! That’s two rounds needed to win for you all who can’t do math. Thanks to little miss Diona here, both contenders have a shield, which means they can hit as hard as they want! A touch is counted as soon as the shield disappears, and a graze alone will not be enough for that. The contenders can also give up a round if they find themselves into a bad position. Weapons are allowed, but no elemental power shall be used.”

She steps between the two warriors facing each other. “Are you ready?”

Ayaka and Eula nod, without breaking eye contact.

Ayaka has removed her overcoat for ease of movement, but she kept her shoulder armors for defense. She’s put her long hair into a bun to avoid blinding herself or providing a handle for her opponent. Crouching down, she waits the start of the battle while holding her sword firmly by her side, barely out of its scabbard.

Eula herself hasn’t made any change to her outfit, for her philosophy is to always be ready for a fight. This is one explanation for her short hair, since long hair would be a disadvantage. Although she wouldn’t admit that the second reason is that Amber finds her pretty and sexy with this hairstyle. The tip of her huge claymore lays by her side, in a relaxed position to avoid using any more strength than necessary to wield such a heavy weapon.

The audience falls silent, and Diona uses her cryo ability to create a shield for the two of them. Yoimiya almost blurts out how cute the little paws on the shields look, but she is thankfully muffled by Chevreuse.

Varesa takes a step back and lifts her arm. “Ladies and gentlemen, get read for the first round! Five! Four!”

Everyone chants the count down, all eyes on the immobile warriors in the middle of the ring.

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

“Fiiiiiight!”

Her hand slices down through the air and the battle begins.

“Ha!”

Ayaka’s sword tip is already mere inches from Eula’s throat an instant after the start. She just moved her sword out of her scabbard at an incredible speed, with a trajectory like a line straight towards Eula’s face. The quick and effortless strike almost hit Eula’s neck, but she somehow manages to turn around and only get nicked by the fast blade. The shield absorbs the hit, but it is not enough to make it fade.

Amber holds her breath, very much not liking the sight of her girlfriend already on the back foot.

“Hmpf!” But Eula is not shaken and she immediately retaliates: she tenses her core and moves the hilt of her Claymore to divert Ayaka’s sword further away, before stepping in and slashing her sword from below in a large vertical arc. Ayaka has no other choice but to step back lest her arm would be struck – in a real battle, she might have lost her arm. She gets her sword back to her side, ready to strike again after she’d avoid Eula’s large strike. But she has made a mistake: Eula’s sword has dug into the earth below and as it rises again towards Ayaka, it throws a bunch of dirt into her face. Suddenly blinded, Ayaka strategically decides to side step and avoid the claymore hit, but Eula is one step ahead of her.

“Ooph…” she feels a hard kick to her side, which she did not see coming.

“One point for Lady Eula!” Varesa screams, and the audience roars, shattering the silence that loomed on the arena for the few seconds of the first round.

“Fighters back to the middle of the arena please! Diona, if you would?”

The audience is chanting and applauding the two contestants show of strength, however some of them have found another mascot to cheer for.

“Kitty shield! Kitty shield!”

Diona flattens her ears, “Oh come on I’m not the one fighting, why are they so excited?” The plugs she got from Xilonen are barely enough to protect her sensitive ears from the roars, so she just hurries up, applies her shields, and runs back into Collei’s arms to shield herself from the noise.

“Round two everyone! Five! Four!” once again Varesa counts down with the audience, and the two fighters get back to the same position and fighting stance as before.

“Fight!”

This time Eula goes on the offense, and she starts with a flurry of circular cuts, slowly moving towards Ayaka who cannot send her scabbard-held strike like her first assault. The barrage of slices moving towards her appears impenetrable, and for an instant she is reminded of the windmill drawings she saw of Mondstadt when she was a child. Finding windmills… a crazy thought, but this is what appears in front of her right now.

Instead of rushing to meet Eula’s advance, she prefers to move to the side and away. Surely her opponent will tire with such a quick assault. Also…

Ayaka takes a step back and crouches down, readying herself as though she was going to strike again, but instead she sprints to the side and slides right next to Eula. Surprised, she tries to move her cutting motions to the side, but the weight of the Claymore is too much even for her to change trajectory in such a short time. Ayaka smirks and sends her sword out.

“Oooh!” the audience gasps at the near hit.

Once again Eula avoids the strike, this time by bending her back at an incredible angle. Ayaka’s blade misses her body again, but this time it cuts right through the clothes on Eula’s chest, opening it up in an instant. The under armor below is enough to deflect the hit that would have hit her heart, and to avoid a shameful display to the spectators. She grits her teeth and brings her Claymore back to strike Ayaka at her side in retaliation.

The giant blade draws an arc through the air above her head, with an incredible power behind it. Everyone braces for the impact, and with a bang it crushes the ground right where Ayaka was a second ago.

“Sorry about this…” she says as she brings her blade to Eula’s neck from behind.

Eula opens her eyes wide, surprised that her opponent managed to move so fast. She scoffs, “Don’t worry about it. This round is yours.”

“One point for Lady Ayaka!” Varesa screams, and the audience explodes once again.

Not only do they get to see a marvelous battle between two incredibly talented ladies from abroad, but they get to see a third and last round! Everyone is at a boiling point for the decisive battle. Ayaka and Eula both retreat to their side, each of them breathing in and out to get their breathing back. The first two rounds were relatively short but intense. Now they need to use their remaining strength to claim victory.

“You got this Eula, I love you!” Amber’s words of encouragement reach Eula’s ears in the middle of the loud chants, and she closes her eyes to focus once more.

Ayaka looks red as well, maybe because of her exhaustion, or maybe because of something Yoimiya and Chevreuse just screamed at her.

Both fighters get their focus back.

The audience is one thing.

But their friends and lovers are here too, and they both want to show their best side to them.

“Ready for the last round everyone??” Varesa asks, to loud roars and applauds. “Kitty Shield please!”

Diona is already resigned to her role, and she quickly produces a shield for both fighters before retreating for the last time, finally.

“Place your bets everyone, who will will this icy hot contest?”

“Hey, no betting!” Diona screams back, but her call is drowned out by the crowd.

“Ready ladies?”

For one last time the both of them nod. But now they both have a face full of determination. A warrior’s pride, so strong that everyone else in the audience shuts up.

The arena falls silent, and Varesa is the only one doing the count down this time.

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

She raises her hand and steps back.

“Fight!”

Ayaka and Eula both start at the same time, and their swords clash with a high pitched metal clank. Sparkles fly through the air, but their following strikes clash again, and again, unrelenting. Eula gives a powerful push when they come in contact again, and Ayaka finds herself losing the power battle. She jumps back to absorb the push and she switches to avoiding and parrying Eula’s powerful strikes instead.

Both women fight like their life depends on it, striking and avoiding their opponent’s blades within a hair’s breadth every time. The motion of their swords becomes mesmerizing, and it doesn’t take long for the audience to become enthralled by their graceful movements.

Spinning around in a beautifully improvised choregraphy, in a back and forth of attack and defense, they move their bodies with such elegance that they look like they are dancing. The clash of their swords and the sound of their feet impose a tempo to the performance, and everyone is hypnotized by the dexterity and mastery of each fighter over their own body.

Alas every play has an end, and it comes when Ayaka stops for a mere moment to get her breath back. Eula’s sharpened senses catch the moment, and to not let the opportunity pass she pushes her claymore just enough to make Ayaka lose her footing. Eula throws herself at Ayaka and grabs her throat with her free hand, protecting herself from Ayaka’s desperate counter with her Claymore planted by her side. She grips her opponent and crushes her into the ground. The shield around Ayaka shivers and disappears.

Amidst a cloud of dirt, Eula stands triumphant above Ayaka. The wide eyed spectators finally realize that the battle is over and they erupt in roaring cheers. the sound is deafening, and it takes a moment for everyone to realize that the volcano far to the South East has begun erupting once again, at the same time.

Varesa adjusts her masks and shouts again, “Under the watchful eyes of Tollan, Lady Eula claims victory!”

Eula is immediately embraced by Amber who covers her with kisses, like a dog who has been separated from its master for days. Collei and Diona both give her a nice hug as well, unable to say anything through the loud chants of the fiery audience.

On the other side Yoimiya and Chevreuse have quickly brought Ayaka back on her feet. With fewer people watching, their display of affection is nonetheless something that Ayaka would think embarrassing in normal times. But who would not enjoy being hugged and kissed passionately by two beautiful ladies? The disappointment of the loss almost washes away from Ayaka, but she keeps it a point to remember it. One day she shall have her revenge.

Both fighters shake their hands after the battle, congratulating each other.

“Lady Ayaka, it was an honor fighting and dancing with you.”

“Likewise, Lady Eula. I will consider losing to you a mark of pride.”

“You were a wonderful opponent, if I say so myself. Had we have the use of our visions, things might have turned out different: I pride myself on not relying much on elemental powers after all.”

“You don’t need to make excuses for me, Lady Eula. I lost fair and square, you shall not hear any complaints from me. Oh and, sorry for cutting your shirt earlier!”

“Not a problem, I still have my chain mail underneath. I might as well call it serendipity, since I was looking to buy a new set of clothes from one of the tribes. Now then… Amber, you can let go of me now, the fight is over and everyone is already walking away.”

Amber remains by Eula’s side, hugging her arm with no intention to let go. She harbors a dumb smile on her face and keeps giggling.

Eula sighs, unable to get her girlfriend to remove her grip. “Sorry about this, she can be very clingy. I see you have a similar problem…”

Ayaka chuckles, with Yoimiya and Chevreuse holding each of her arms securely. “Indeed. Such a handful!”

Collei and Diona look at the two groups from afar.

“There they go again,” Diona says.

“Let them have their moment, it was a fun fight,” Collei replies, patting her little friend on the head.

“Yeah, that was so thrilling, I even worked out an appetite without fighting myself!” Varesa adds.

“Oh!” Collei jumps. “Hi… Varesa. Didn’t see you here.”

All of a sudden a loud rumbling sound echoes throughout the arena, leading everyone to lift their head and look at yet another eruption from the volcano.

But this time, it wasn’t the volcano.

“Uh…” Varesa mumbles, “anyone got a snack or twelve to eat?”

Among the people who dispersed after the battle, a suspiciously hooded person walks away towards the Stadium. A cowlick of burning hair sticks out from under her hoody, but she doesn’t bother hiding her appearance more than necessary.

The volcano eruption would have been a nice omen for the end of the battle, if it wasn’t her own work. A little congratulation for the spectacle they have provided.

“Now then,” Mavuika says to herself, “I might be able to recruit more vision fighters for the ‘Festival’. What a nice day indeed!”

Chapter Text

Another day, another good bye. Ayaka and her two girlfriends – Chevreuse and Yoimiya – all take the direction of the Stadium, while our group follows the path towards the Tollan Volcano to the South West, guided by Varesa.

“See you at the festival!” Yoimiya screams as they disappear behind a hill.

“I still don’t like good byes…” Amber says, with the ears of her red headband flattened back.

Collei pats her shoulder with a wry smile, “It’s ok, we’ll should see them at the music festival in a few days. Speaking of which, there’s a lot of people going there. Almost everyone we’ve met in Natlan will attend!”

“It’s gonna be so loud, I swear…” Diona grumbles.

Amber chuckles, “I’ve heard from Mualani that they’ll have events specifically for kids, I’m sure you’ll be fine! Come, let’s see if Eula and Varesa have finished talking about our next plan.”

“It should be very fast, don’t worry. We’ll definitely be there before sun down!” Varesa says happily as she gulps down her emergency snacks, but Eula doesn’t sound convinced.

“We have one child and a young adult who is still lacking in stamina. Are you sure we can make our way there in a timely manner?”

“Ah, that’s why you’re worried! Don’t worry, I’ll bring you all there! We have a few tatankasaur-led carts ready just for this!”

And she is right: further down the road, the group arrives at what looks like a small camp by the side of the path, with a couple of tents, empty cots and a few carts on wheels, some of them full of straw. Varesa inspects the carts one after the other and selects one for them to use.

“Come, hop on! I’ll get it prepared and then we can be on our way!” She runs around to find ropes and a few more straw bundles to throw in and act as cushions for her passengers.

Before long all four tourists are sitting in the little cart, a bit too packed for Eula’s taste, but no one else seems to complain. If anything, the rest look forward to enjoying a nice, peaceful ride.

“What is it, Chérie?” Amber asks, “Want me to keep you in my arms so you don’t get thrown off?”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous Amber. I’ll be fine.” The offer is enticing for Eula, but her pride refuses such a childish reason to embrace her girlfriend.

“Everybody ready back there?”

“Yeah… but where are the tatankasaurs, Miss Varesa?” Diona asks.

“Hm?” Varesa looks back with a smile as she fastens a few ropes around her waist and torso. “No need for them, I’ll be enough for that? Now then hold on tight! We’re departing!”

“What do you mea-aaaaaah!” Collei barely has time to grab the edge of the cart that it launches at full speed on the path ahead.

Varesa is pulling the whole weight of four people like it is nothing, and she is already reaching her top speed after a few second of neck breaking acceleration. So fast she goes that the wind slaps the passengers’ faces, and at every turn they huddle together to avoid getting thrown off the cart.

Eula has already discarded her pride and hugs Amber with all her might. Amber of course is ecstatic both from the high speed ride and from her girlfriend’s tight embrace. Seeing her usually stoic partner tensing up so much makes her laugh and she almost wants to tease her… but this will have to wait until they arrive.

“Ahahaha! We’re going so faaaaast!” Diona for her part doesn’t complain at all, on the contrary: she barely needs to keep hold of anything and stands up in the center of the box with her innate sense of balance.

“You alright Collei?” Amber shouts across at her little sister.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine.” Poor Collei repeats herself, gripping the side of the carriage for dear life.

Amber chuckles, “Come here! I have enough room for two! Eula, please?”

Begrudgingly her girlfriend weakens her hug and lets Collei plops herself in Amber’s arms as well.

“Diona? Wanna join us?” Amber shouts with a large smile.

“I’m good! Woohoo! Let’s go Varesaaaa!”

Their guide doesn’t look back and continues rushing on the path, turning and jumping effortlessly over obstacles on the road like she was just rolling by herself with no weight attached. Once again she has lowered her head, pointing her horns in the direction of her run like she had when she almost crashed into them.

“I guess that’s how she runs, uh,” Amber giggles, “Thankfully Chevreuse isn’t here, she’d get her arrested immediately!”

“D-don’t move too much Amber, I feel like I’ll fly away at every turn,” Eula keeps herself steady with a death grip on the carriage’s side and her arm around both Amber and Collei, all pretense of composure flying away like the dirt ejected from Varesa’s crazy drive up the slopes.

The ground starts to shake under the rushing carriage, and it takes its passengers a few moments to realize something else is happening.

“Look! The volcano is exploding again!” Diona shouts, pointing up at a grim plume of ash and lava ejected from the peak of the mountain.

“Uh… Varesa? Should we take shelter somewhere?” Amber screams but Varesa keeps running like a bull as though nothing was wrong.

The hot debris start to rain down from the sky, landing haphazardly on the dirt path and all around the wagon.

A large steaming boulder lands ahead of the cart and starts rolling down towards the rushing maiden and her passengers.

“We’re gonna craaaaaash!” Collei freaks out and dips her head in Amber’s bosom.

Diona gets ready to create a shield for a teammates, but a sudden jolt caused by a small rock on the path makes her lose her footing for a split second.

“Varesa smaaaash!”

BANG

The large boulder gets pulverized in an instant and its smoking parts fly out and away from the rushing carts. Despite the constant rain of hot stones, Varesa keeps her trajectory steady, crushing or throwing everything everything away from their path: flaming boulders, phlogiston rocks, a bewildered tatankasaur, nothing stands in front of her for long. The awestruck passengers observe as Varesa creates her own path, covered in the bright Natlan aura they have seen a few people used before – their nightsoul blessing.

After a couple of minutes, the volcanic activity slowly subsides and with it the number of hazardous materials it spouts.

“Holy Archons, that was intense!” Amber shouts, half laughing half choking from her two friends arms still wrapped around her.

“Yeeaaaah! Goo Varesaaa!” Diona giggles excitedly, already back on her feet and fully enjoying the journey.

“Here we are!” Varesa shouts proudly, slowing her pace to a simple jog, which is still enough to bring the cart to its destination in a record time. She finds a good place to park near other carts ready to go in the opposite route. Breathing heavily, flushed and with a big smiley face, she removes the ropes around her body and helps everyone get off.

“Travelers under the protection of the Pyro Archon, welcome to the Teteocan, home of the Collective of Plenty! How did you like the ride?!”

“5/5, great work Varesa!” Amber of course gives a thumb up, but she and Diona are the only ones with such a rave review.

“1/5. Since we miraculously arrived safely,” Eula mumbles between a teeth. Pale as snow, she wobbles away to find a discreet location to calm her heart and dispel her nausea.

“Uh… 3/5?” Collei replies seriously. “I would have preferred if you explained what you were about to do instead of rushing without saying anything. Same for the volcano: knowing that you would be able to breeze through it would have prevented us from freaking out. Besides, I am sure we ran over a few wild life, and I think that… oh!”

Amber slaps Collei’s back lightly, “Come on no need to write a full report! Look we’re here!”

She opens her arms towards the new vista. The settlement of the Collective of plenty sits within a gigantic cavern directly under the active volcano. The cavity, thought to be an ancient magma chamber, is large enough to protect all its denizens from the wrathful eruptions.

Speaking of, a terrifying rumble echoes from wall to wall. But the tourists immediately recognize it this time, and they turn their heads back towards Varesa who rubs her belly with a timid look on her face.

“Uh… I really need to eat som- I need to… I…” her words trail off and she wobbles on her feet, before falling to the ground.

Before anyone else reacts Collei rushes to catch her and safely brings her to lie on the ground.

“Varesa? Hello? Can you hear me?”

“Hmm… wha-what?” Varesa opens her eyes after a few seconds.

“You’ve just feinted, don’t worry. Amber, can you prop her legs up? Just enough to help blood flow to her head.”

“On it!”

“How do you feel, Varesa?” Collei asks with a calm voice, checking that the color comes back to her face. She only has to think for a split second to realize what likely went wrong. “Do you need more to eat?”

Varesa nods, a timid look on her face. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s ok, nothing to apologize for. Here, I have a few pita pockets in case of emergency. Have one… No, take all three of them, you look very hungry.”

Varesa’s eyes sparkle and after sitting up she voraciously devours the three small packed dishes.

“Hmm! It’s delicious!”

“Glad to see you like it. How do you feel? Ready to stand up?”

“Yes, I…”

Diona jumps around and starts to hiss at the sound of a stampede of footsteps arriving at the scene.

“Make way! Varesa down! I repeat: Varesa down! Bring the emergency meal ASAP!”

An army of bulky men rushes to the scene and surrounds Varesa as she slowly gets back on her feet.

“Atolli? I-I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“Nonsense! We could hear your rumbling tummy throughout the settlement! You need a full meal to get your energy back!” The strong looking man with a toque – a chef apparently – organizes his group to carry Varesa away.

“Sorry about that, kind strangers,” he bows down. “And thank you for helping her, young miss,” he nods towards Collei, who politely reciprocates. “Tell you what, since you’ve just arrived, let me offer you your first meal here! What do you say? I’m sure Varesa will appreciate the company too.”

“Sounds good! I’m getting hungry too!” Diona jumps up and down excitedly.

Eula holds her hand up, “Calm down Diona. Thank you for your offer sir, but we need to see your chief – Acatl I believe? – to set up our accommodations as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry about that, he won’t go anywhere while you eat! Come on, it’s on the house!”

Amber, Collei and Diona all look at Eula with puppy eyes. Her responsibility dam breaks within seconds.

“Alright, alright, I suppose it can wait a little while. Lead the way sir… Atolli?”

“Ahaha, a sharp lady are you? Very good! Come and follow me, you won’t be disappointed!”

Chapter Text

Never has Diona seen a customer devour so many plates all by themselves. Of course the Cat’s Tail’s reputation isn’t for their meals, since their main appeal are the drinks, cocktails, and TCG tables – not to mention their famed Kätzlein barwoman. Diona is from Springvale, a village of hunters who know how to throw a proper feast after a good hunt, and everyone then would eat up so much that they would spend the next few days napping. But seeing someone obliterate a village’s worth of food by themselves leaves the little girl completely wordless. All she can do is observe, wide eyed, as Varesa starts her twenty-third plate.

“Hmph? Want a piece, ‘ittle Diona?” Varesa asks. It’s a mystery how she can talk with her mouth and cheeks full, and yet she continues to eat as naturally as she is breathing.

Collei, sitting at the other end of the table with the others, nibbles at her own meal with wide eyes. “You were going to lose from the start, Amber.”

“Hnnnng… My belly… is so full… Eula, my love, please hold me.”

“I don’t see how you stuffing yourself beyond reasonable measure relates to cuddling with you, Amber. This is a punishment of your own doing.”

“I will have angerevengeance, Eula chérie… Ohhh…”

Collei shakes her head. “I think we’ve lost her, Eula. Let’s put her out of her misery.”

“Damn,” Diona says, deadpan. “Rest in pieces, Amber.”

The Outrider grunts and moans as she falls “inadvertently” into Eula’s laps, who mumbles in her ear, “Stupid little bunny.”

Amber smirks, “Hey, I’m your stupid little bunny.”

Varesa continues eating at her own pace – extremely quick by any standard –, but she listens intently at the cute barter.

“I don’t know how you two can flirt so blatantly every day, isn’t it getting tiring?” Collei crosses her arms and starts pouting.

“Oh? Are you getting jealous, Collei?” Amber chuckles with her head on her girlfriend’s thighs, “Why don’t you get yourself a significant other, then? You looked very friendly with that guy.”

“Ororon!” Collei almost shouts.

“Ehe, glad you admits it to yourself, Collei! I didn’t even say his n-”

“Ororon, h-hi! What are you doing here? I thought you came back to the Masters of the Night Wind for work!”

Collei stands up from the table and timidly but excitedly greets the man who just appeared behind the mountain of empty plates. A couple of Natlanese customers stand up and quickly leave before finishing their meals. Ororon looks at them, sighs and turns his attention back to Collei.

“Oh hi Collei. Hi grannies. What’s up?” He takes up a seat at the table as though they had been long time acquaintances and orders a dish for himself.

“I have some… business here. With Varesa, as it turns out. Hi Varesa, by the way.”

“Hi Roron!” In between two mouthfuls she manages to greet him back, but she soon dives into her next dish.

Collei flinches. Roron? Is that a nickname? A pet name? Don’t tell me…

“Uh, Ororon, you know Varesa well, I take it? Are you maybe…?”

“Hm? Ah yes, we’re long time partners.”

“Oh.”

Collei’s heart drops.

Ororon freezes and quickly adds, “We’ve been business partners for years now. We trade vegetables and fruits on a regular basis. We’re very good friends.”

“Oh.” Collei can’t tell if she is relieved with her blood still pumping loudly in her head.

All of a sudden Varesa explodes in laughter between two mouthfulls. “Come on Roron, are you still hung up on that? It’s been years, you need to move on.”

“What does she mean?” Collei turns her head with a quizzical look on her face.

For the first time Ororon seems uncomfortable, but he slowly explains. “When we were kid I asked Varesa out… and she flat out rebuked me. It still stings to this day. My poor heart…”

Varesa smiles, “You were cute by then, you even came with an offering of veggies! Sadly for him, he’s not my type at all. My ideal man would be big, strong, proud, like a hero of legend! Someone who could take me head on and not break!”

“And that’s why you’re still single, Varesa,” Ororon points out.

Varesa stops eating and starts to blush. “I’m working on it, I’ll have you know. There’s a wrestling competition tomorrow with people coming from all over Teyvat. I’m sure there will be someone who will be seduced by my charms!”

“I’ll cheer for you, then. You deserve a good man, Varesa.” Ororon lifts his cup as though to toast and gulps it down.

Eula’s perks up. “I could not help but overhear you talking about a wrestling competition? Would you mind telling us more?”

Varesa sets her empty plate on the stack next to her. “Since Natlan has become more welcoming to the world, chief Acatl has been organizing a friendly wrestling competition every three months. It has been gaining popularity recently, so we have even renamed it the-”

“-Ultimate Friendly Wrestling! Or UFW, for those in the know,” Eula finishes. “And to think I almost missed this opportunity. Is it too late to register?”

“N-No, anyone can register until the end of today. Just talk to chief Acatl, he’s in charge of the whole event.”

“Perfect. Well then, it’s been a pleasure, friends, but I must be going. Amber, can you keep an eye on Collei and Diona for me?”

“Sure my Love,” Amber gets on her tiptoes and Eula bends down for a quick parting kiss. “We’ll stay here, come join us back when you’re done, ok?”

“Wow… I don’t think I’ve ever seen Eula so excited for a competition,” Diona says.

“That’s because there’s not a lot of people who can measure up to her strength in Mondstadt.” Amber puffs out her chest, happy to praise her girlfriend. “Jean is strong of course, but that’s because of her incredible technical mastery of swordsmanship. Noelle is much stronger in theory but… uh… she’s no good at controlling her strength? We’re always worried that she’d hurt someone by accident, so sadly she is forbidden from entering any fighting competition.”

Varesa listens intently at Amber’s boastful speech. “So… you’re saying that Eula is the strongest person in Mondstadt?”

“That’s right! Isn’t she amazing??”

Both Collei and Diona nod along.

“I-I can’t wait to fight against her then! I may have been half-joking about it earlier, but I’m really looking forward to measuring myself against the strongest people in the world! Coach Iansan tells me that there is always someone stronger than me out there… at first I thought she meant the Pyro Archon and what not, but seeing so many people from different nations… I can’t wait to fight them!”

“Well, be prepared, because there’s no way Eula will lose against you or anyone else!” Amber adds with a teasing smile.

“I-I-I’ll do my best! I too want to become a hero like the legends!” Varessa suddenly stops as though she remembers something. “Speaking of, you mentioned a legendary hero from Mondstadt before? Someone whose name sounds like mine?”
“Ah, Vennessa?” Amber says. “It’s quite a tale, every kid on Mondstadt knows it!”

Diona nods energetically.

“It’s going to take a while for Amber to tell the whole story…” Collei whispers to Ororon. She looks at him nervously, and quickly adds, “How about going on a-a walk while we wait for Eula to come back?”

Ororon nods, and a gentle smile appears on his face, “I’d love that.”

“Uh, Amber? Ororon is going to show me around, we’ll be back soon?”

Amber lifts her head up and quickly understands the situation. She winks and gives her a thumb up, “Have fun you two!” And she immediately resumes the story of Vennessa, the Falcon of the West.

Once again Collei feels her heart beating at every step. She and Ororon have taken the path that follows the river flowing in the middle of the cavern, and along the way they see many passer-bys in a flurry of different clothes and colors, merchants and the like calling for visitors to try their products. The Collective of Plenty is known for their fertile land and their bountiful harvest, and the stalls on the path are filled with fully grown vegetables and fruits, some of which Collei have never seen. Ororon stops here and there to buy a small fruit to let Collei have a taste, adding a comment about how each of those crops are grown. Collei almost wants to take out her notepad and jot down everything he says but… that would be impolite, right? Instead she listens most of the way, offering her opinion on the taste of each sample.

The other main export of the Collective of Plenty is not a product, but a way of life. For every stall full of food, they see another one that proposes fitness accessories, exercise diets or full courses to “get ripped in a few days.” No wonder Eula wanted to come here, Collei thinks. The tall woman’s muscles are not just the product of heredity: she knows very well how much care Eula takes with keeping herself strong and healthy.

Collei shakes her head. She’s on her second date with Ororon, and her mind is already drifting to something else.

“Collei? Are you ok?” Ororon asks.

“Uh? Oh sorry, I’m just a bit nervous,” she mumbles back. She starts blushing, feeling that she is making a fool out of herself already.

“May I… take your hand?” Ororon asks.

Collei looks at his eyes. She trusts him already, how is that possible? She nods.

Ororon takes her hand and pretends to give it a kiss.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s nervous,” he says with a smile. “To be honest, I have don’t really know how to do it. Dating and all that.”

Collei takes a deep breath. Now that she has somehow calmed down, she can feel Ororon’s hand shaking a little.

“It’s ok… let’s take small steps together, yes?” she says with a warm smile.

Hand in hand they continue their walk until they reach the end of the path at the entrance of the cavern facing North. The volcano cliffs on this side are covered with fields of crops, trees and bushes, all cultivated and cared for by farmers with the help of tatankasaurs.

They find a place to sit down on a little wooden bench overlooking the sea beyond the fields.

Their topics of discussion slowly dry out… and once again they fall into an awkward silence.

But is it really a bad thing? Collei slowly remembers what her friend Sucrose said when she met her for the first time in Mondstadt.

“We don't have to force a conversation if we can't think of anything. We can just... sit here together.”

She takes a long breath. Sucrose was right. Ororon doesn’t seem annoyed by the silence. If anything he seems to enjoy it just as much as her. They exchange a few stares, a smile here and there. They feel fine right now.

After a few minutes without words, Ororon finally speaks again.

“You know Collei, I never thought I’d ever meet someone like you.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Well… you’re kind, smart, friendly, and pretty of course. And you don’t mind being with… someone like me.”

Collei blushes again. To be told such praise pointblank, feels… very nice. But she feels Ororon is alluding to something he avoids mentioning.

“What do you mean, ‘someone like you?’”

Ororon massages Collei’s hand with his thumb as he tries to find the right words.

“You’ve seen how some people avoid me, right? That’s because of my ‘affliction’ of sort.”

Affliction? Like a curse? Like Eleazar? Or a sickness? Collei listens and encourages him to continue silently.

“That’s one of the reasons I was attracted to you when we first met. You’re similar to me, in some ways. Someone like me… with a damaged soul.”

Collei’s face pales in an instant.

“My soul is… damaged?”

Chapter Text

“And that’s how Vennessa became the Falcon of the West, protector of Mondstadt forever and ever!” Amber takes an exaggerated bow and is met with a flurry of applauds. Varesa is the loudest of course, but a few of the other patrons of the restaurant join her. As it turns out Amber’s recounting of Mondstadt’s most famous tale has turned into a full blown storytelling session that attracted more and more people as she went on. She tried to emulate the bards from back home, and although her singing and way with words are not on par with real poets, everyone around thoroughly enjoyed her passionate story.

“That’s so romantic!” Varesa sighs, still not recovered from the ending.

Atolli laughs and brings a new dish on the table, “Thanks for the show, miss bard! Here’s a complementary dessert and drink as a show of gratitude!”

Amber’s eyes sparkle at the unexpected gift, which she wouldn’t dream of refusing. Talking for so long helped her digest, and her second stomach now growls for the sweet treat. Of course she shares it with Diona, as well as with Varesa who stared at the dessert intensely, drooling without a word. Despite eradicating a mountain of plates already, she looks hungry again – no doubt Vennessa’s story shook her quite a bit.

“Our accommodations are ready.” Eula comes back and opens her eyes wide at the commotion. “What is that all about? And where is Collei?”

“Oh! Hi Chérie!” Amber beckons her girlfriend to sit next to her, “Don’t worry, she’s gone on a date with Ororon!”

“A date with Ororon??” Both Varesa and Eula react at the same time.

“Ehem…” Eula clears her throat, “I did not think he would be here. How did Collei look?”

Amber smirks, “Excited? Smitten? She told me she’d be back soon, but I think we can give her some leniency, right?”

“No wonder he was teasing me about getting a boyfriend of my own…” Varesa starts to mumble by herself, “Oh I definitely have to tell Ifa! Sorry guys I have to go, if I hurry I might be able to give a quick letter to the Huitztlan messenger before they go on their distribution tour. Gossip of that scale cannot wait! See you tomorrow at the competition!” She stands up and starts running away immediately, forgoing a proper good bye.

Her speedy exit creates gusts of wind which blow through everyone’s clothes, and Eula makes sure to keep a hold on Diona lest she flies away.

“Hehe, she’s so funny!” Diona giggles, dangling in Eula’s arms.

Eula sighs, “If you are done here, let’s depart to our dwelling. It’s another shared room with other travelers, but Acatl ensured me we should have ample room to settle.”

Amber nods and walks towards the cook who is busy cleaning the tables, “Right! I’ll ask Atolli to tell Collei where we’re going. Hopefully she’s enjoying herself, hehe!”

“I’m not broken!” Collei screams. She stands up from the bench, staring daggers at Ororon as her face changes from pale to red, like a wildfire engulfing a green grass field.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything bad by that.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“Collei, I-” Ororon tries to take her hand, but Collei slaps it away.

“Don’t touch me!”

“… sorry, that was insensitive of me.”

Ororon falls silent for a moment, his eyes wavering with guilt and worry. Collei huffs and puffs, but she cannot maintain her anger for long. Deep down she knows he’s right, even though she hadn’t put a word on it until now. Cyno may have sealed her curse away years ago, but he did warn her that the archon remains had left more than physical damage.

Ororon waits a little while, but seeing as Collei doesn’t talk again, he whispers a suggestion. “Do you want some space? I can leave you alone if you want.”

Collei opens her mouth in a weak attempt to rebuke him, but can’t utter any words. The man in front of her looks so vulnerable right now. His hoody can’t hide his two bat ears flattened on his head, and most importantly, his two eyes of different color have lost their sparkle.

Two different colors, magenta and cyan. She just now remembers what her self-proclaimed grandmother Faruzan told her when she had asked her why her had slightly different colors. Faruzan had spent an entire afternoon explaining how the eyes can reflect the content of the soul. She had been trapped for a hundred years in a cursed ruin, and part of her soul had been frozen in time, just like her body. One eye remained with youthful colors, the other had withered, reflecting her strange state as an old lady with the body of a young girl.

Candace, the beautiful lady guardian of Aaru village, also had peculiar eyes: one a deep night blue, the other gold like amber. After getting to know her, Collei had asked her why. Candace proudly said that her Amber eye was a fragment of the soul of her ancestor Al-Ahmar.

Shared souls, aged souls, broken souls. It made sense, but she hadn’t realized it also applied to her.

“How do you know my soul is damaged, Ororon? My eyes have nothing special.”

He cocks his head to the side, which make his ears tilt sideways as well. Collei tries to keep her focus on his answer, and not on his cute ears.

“Your eyes,” He points to his own, as though that is all that is needed for an answer. But seeing as Collei remains unconvinced, he starts to elaborate. “Your eyes… have an unnatural glow to them. I think your original eye color was different.”

That is not an idea Collei ever entertained, but then again she doesn’t have much memories of her youth before Eleazar and her curse. She shudders at the thoughts, but the explanation sounds plausible now that she thinks about it.

More importantly, now that she has calmed down, she realizes how rude she has been to lash out at him.

“… Is your soul damaged too, Ororon?” she asks with a small voice.

He nods.

Collei quickly cools down as she finally realizes that he has shared his own secret with her… and she just screamed at him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I’m the worst…”

Ororon shrugs, “It’s fine, I’m used to it.”

Collei sits back down next to him and crosses her arms in anger. “You shouldn’t be used to it! You should be upset at least! People shouldn’t treat you badly just because you’ve had horrible experiences in your life!”

“I’m fine, Collei. But thanks for not pushing me away. May I… take your hand?”

It’s the second time he’s asked this question, but this time she nods. Ororon takes her hand silently and caresses it gently. In his own way he is trying to make her more comfortable, awkwardly of course, and Collei is finally becoming receptive to his efforts.

“Why don’t you tell me more about yourself, Ororon?” she asks in a whisper. “About… your damaged soul?”

“Are you sure?”

“Uh-uh.”

The man’s eyes take a gentle glint, “Then will you tell me your story as well, Collei?”

She swallows. To confide her past… she knows how cathartic it can be, but not everyone likes to be on the receiving end of a trauma dump. She looks in his eyes again, and all she sees is yearning, care, and… a little thing she doesn’t quite want to put a word on yet.

“Sure. It’s only fair… Although it might take a while.”

He chuckles, “Your friends might not be happy if you come back late.”

“I’ll be fine. Probably… But this is important.”

“Collei is still not back,” Eula hisses.

Diona stays put in her arms, but she can feel her tension with the way the muscles of her arms and thighs are as hard as wood.

The little group minus Collei has already moved to the tourist’s inn where they just claimed their four beds in the form a two bed bunks.

“Come on, Eula, let her live her life a little,” Amber tries to sooth her girlfriend, but to no avail. “You sure you’re not just upset that we have to sleep separately in bunk beds for a while?”

Sadly Amber’s attempt at a jokes flies over Eula’s head, and she keeps complaining, more worried than angry. “What will I tell her parents if she goes missing? If she gets hurt? She is my responsibility right now, and I-I just don’t want her to have a bad experience.”

“She’s almost an adult, Eula, and she went with Ororon. So many people vouched for him he’s like a walking green flag, there is no need to be worried.”

“What if he… what if they…”

“Calm down Chérie. For one, Collei can hold her own in a fight, at least enough to flee and call for help. Remember the Cullein-Amba incident?”

Diona shivers and flattens her ears back, “The Cullein-Amba incident… that was scary.”

“I still can’t believe she made a version of her doll more explosive than your baron bunny,” Eula takes the bait and reminisces the event. “That Fungus colony did not stand a chance.”

Amber chuckles, “And neither did the forest in the radius of the detonation. I think we counted twelve trees felled from the direct hit, and a lot more damaged. Tighnari punished her so harshly that day, even I didn’t try to help.”

“Uh…” a little voice calls out from the entrance of the room, “Are you talking about me?”

“Collei!” Despite her words, Amber is probably the one who was the most worried about her little sister, and so as soon as she appears she knocks her off her feet in a tackle worthy of the best wrestlers.

“Amb- I can’t breath!”

“Do you have any idea how worried I was, Collei?” Amber looks up and recoil in shock upon seeing Collei’s red eyes. “Curse Barbatos, did he hurt you?!”

“No! No, he didn’t! I’m fine!”

“Amber dear, let Collei breath. Collei,” Eula turns an icy stare towards the young woman, “what happened?”

It takes a while for Collei to explain how she just talked with Ororon, nothing more. And how she actually shared the story of her past with him – in detail: Eleazar and Fatui included – hence the length of her absence, and the traces of tears on her face.

“Alright. As long as you are fine, I won’t pursue the matter further. But make sure to tell us if you plan to stay away that long next time. Understood, young lady?”

Collei nods.

“It’s good that you understand.”

Diona looks back and forth, stuck in the middle of the grown up talk. Most of the conversation flew over her head, but there is one thing she understood clearly. “Hey Collei, did you two kiss?” she asks candidly.

Eula gasps, Amber snorts, and Collei blushes.

“…... N-No.”

Amber laughs, “I heard that little pause. You did, didn’t you?”

“How improper…” Eula is at a loss for words, with her hand over her mouth in shock.

“Says the one who kissed me on our very first date!”

“Amber!”

“Want me to recount the story how you pulled me to a discreet alley and- Hmph! Hm, hmph!” Eula’s hand quickly covers Amber blabbering mouth as her own face becomes as red as a tomato. The two lovers play fight together, leaving Collei out of the hook.

Meanwhile, Diona jumps in Collei’s arms and wraps her little arms around her. “I’m glad you found someone, Collei.” She rubs her head against Collei’s hand, and – for once – allows her to pet her head a little. Just for today.

“So, what are we doing tomorrow?” Collei asks seeing as Diona is already getting sleepy.

“The wrestling competition!” Amber shouts happily. “The world shall know how strong my wife is!”

Eula’s purple and yellow eyes glint with pride, but she tries to stay humble. She usually fights for herself in those events, but with the combat earlier in the day she also came to the realization that she greatly appreciates her friends’ and lover’s support.

And this makes her all the more eager to win this time.

Chapter Text

Eula opens her eyes the next morning to find Amber curled up in her arms. Despite officially using the bunk bed above hers, Amber somehow crawled back into her embrace during the night. Again. She chuckles and parts the sleeping beauty’s messy hair with her fingers to kiss her forehead. When she slips out of her blanket she hears a weak whimper and finds herself stopped by a hand grasping her own.

“Eula?” Amber asks with a weak, sleepy voice.

“I need to get ready ahead of the competition. Don’t worry, we will all go together.”

“Hmkay… Love you…”

The hand let’s go and becomes limp with her owner already back to sleep. Eula smiles gently, before walking away.

The Collective of Plenty’s settlement is still calm at this time of day, and the washroom of the inn they are staying at is mostly desert. Eula uses that opportunity to try out her new outfit. Her usual shirt has been damaged the day before in her fight against Ayaka, but thankfully she bought a new set of clothes already, in the style of the current tribe. Eula quickly washes her sleepiness away and changes her clothes, with her mind occupied not so much by the fights ahead but what they represent for her.

Eula always had a bit of competitiveness in her. But until a few years ago it had only been to challenge and better herself in order to show her family her own worth. Her spars with Jean, Varka or the other strong knights and her ruthless training had made her into one of the most powerful fighters in Mondstadt. But once she was made Captain, she didn’t really need to seek improvement. She kept her connections with her aristocratic family, never really letting go in fear of losing a part of herself.

That is, until Amber came into her life. Of course the two of them had been friends since childhood – Amber’s Grandfather had taught her most of her skills after all – but after a few years into adulthood the two of them had slowly fallen for each other. Eula remembered the first time she thought of Amber in a romantic way like it was yesterday. After a joint exercise with her reconnaissance unit, the two of them had to stay behind to fight off a sudden ambush from a gang of treasure hoarders. Thankfully their teamwork was perfect that day, and Amber’s smile after their victory was like the warm sunlight shining through the snowy clouds of Eula’s soul. She barely managed to restrain herself from embracing her that very moment. But of course after Amber asked her out on a date a few days later, Eula did not let the opportunity pass to take Amber’s first kiss.

Sadly but not unexpectedly her family did not appreciate her going out with a such a “vulgar commoner” – and a woman no less. Eula had to distance herself even more to avoid their perpetual criticism. And when they started sending her invitations to meet “appropriate” marriage partners, she decided to close the door on the few family members that still talked to her.

Because of her clear and explicit intention to cut off all bridges, the Lawrence Clan used its power to slowly poison her life. They exerted their influence to interfere with the Knight of Favonius’ affairs in an attempt to discredit Eula among their ranks. It had worked wonders through the streets of Mondstadt – nasty rumors are so easily shared after all – and only Amber’s energetic, public praises managed to keep her reputation somewhat afloat among the citizens. That was still something Eula could still stomach somehow. But she realized something else they did, something she would never excuse. They were the reason no one wanted to join the Outrider’s company that Amber was desperately trying to rebuild after her Grandfather’s disappearance. The day she found out about it was the day she decided to burn the Lawrence Clan to the ground. To raze everything they did, and start anew, with Amber at her side. And this would require her to take down the head of the Family to claim it as her own. Her ultimate vengeance.

With one last look through the mirror, Eula steels herself. If she is to go against her Family, she needs to show the unstoppable power of an unmovable glacier.

For Amber. And for herself.

“Contestant Eula Lawrence, qualified!”

“Hmph, piece of cake.” Eula leaves the makeshift ring with her head held high. The adult tatankasaur she has just tossed out of bounds is still wriggling around on its back, all four legs in the air with a confused look on its face.

“Bravo Chérie, I knew it’d be easy for you!” Amber brings her a towel to clean off the little bit of sweat on Eula’s brows. However Amber is clearly distracted with her eyes all over her girlfriend. Her new outfit is indeed more revealing than her previous one, especially without her cape which she dispensed of for today’s battles. She replaced her skin tight suit with a pair of no less tight but less covering set of sport bra and sport shorts, both dark purple in tone. She wears a sleeveless shirt with white and purple Natlanese motifs, just about covering her chest, and a short skirt with a thick belt not unlike the one that Varesa is wearing. To Amber’s delight this means her belly is out in the open with just enough flesh for Amber look at – and hopefully to take a hold of later. When Eula flexes her muscles her abs appear, causing Amber to fall into fangirling mode.

Collei calls out to Amber with a somewhat tired voice, “Hey, stop luring at Eula like that Amber, you’re not discreet.”

“Don’t worry we got you,” Ororon says right next to Collei. “Diona has already taken a lot of pictures. Right?”

Click. Click. Sitting high up on his shoulders the little cat girl takes a few more shots and smirks.

In the tribe of bountiful food and competitive body building, Eula’s physique earns many glances of envy and acknowledgment from the locals, something that Eula ignores royally. Her mind is set on the fights, and on the prize. She has her own secret agenda for winning of course, but there is also an official reward for getting first place: a full day of personal training with the legendary coach, Iansan. One of her objectives for visiting the Collective of Plenty was to meet with her after all, so this kind of reward is a godsend. Two birds, one stone.

The tournament is a very clear excuse for everyone to throw a feast. While the tourists and locals wait between the fight, every one wanders around through the streets of the settlement full of shops and restaurants for all ages and all tastes. Families, friends, guests, children, lovers, pets and hooded strangers swim through the crowd in search of something to eat or a game to play. But when the horns at the top of the highest building are blown, the excited spectators congregate around the arena where the fights are held.

Instead of a simple platform like the usual wrestling matches – which are mostly test of strength against tatankasaurs and the like – the competition takes place in a square ring delimited by four pillars, all holding elastic ropes to form a closed arena a somewhat close area, but with enough visibility to allow everyone around to spectate. A peculiar setup for Eula and the new challengers, but none of them complain: any strong person worth their salt would know how to adapt to new situations.

Well, most of them.

“That’s bullshit,” says a tall man with a clear Snezhnayan accent. “What it this, an arena for ants? I can barely walk around in here! I’m not even allowed to use my hammer, or my delusion!” The gigantic man, twice as tall as most other people, paces and pests against the organizers.

“Come on brother, everyone is looking at us. Chill.” Right next to him a smaller man – relatively – all dressed in red tries to calm the giant down.

“Shut up Vasily. Ever since our Captain went MIA everyone is looking down on us. I have to show them what we’re worth!”

The red man sighs, “And I think we’ve been training for too long on the Huitzli Hill, you’ve become too stubborn. The only opponent worth their salt we faced was the Traveler, and they barely bested us. We’re good.”

“Three of us against one, I wouldn’t call that a fair fight. I have to show them that the Fatui are not just the Harbingers!”

Most people are trying to stay away from the three arguing Fatui, but the audience is also getting antsy. The first fight is about to begin, and the man named Nomokonov will soon fight in the ring. Eula’s first opponent.

Eula is already getting ready, warming up in her corner with her friends to help. Amber is her second, Diona is in charge of picture on top of Ororon, and Collei is ready with the first aid. Or she should be, because as soon as she sees the Fatui advance towards the ring she freezes and hides behind Ororon in a hurry.

“What is it Collei?” He asks her nonchalantly. But he quickly realizes that she is petrified in fear. “Collei? What’s wrong?”

“No… I… Fatui…” she can barely articulate her thoughts as her arms and legs start to tremble.

“Collei!” Amber immediately realizes what is going on. She takes Collei into a hug and cups her ears. “It’s ok Collei, I’m right here. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere safe. Ok?”

Collei nods. Eula has followed the whole incident from the side of her eyes, and she looks with a frown as Amber and Collei walk away and disappear through the crowd. Ororon stays behind, looking calm on the surface, but Eula can see the worry in his eyes. She clicks her tongue and rises from her seat to enter the ring ahead of time.

“Oh, look, she’s eager to fight! That’s good!” the spectators may have missed the little drama on Eula’s side, but her appearance in the ring immediately catches their attention. Eula stands in her corner with her arms crossed and an icy glare on her face. She follows her opponent without a word as he joins her in the ring.

“Second match of the final stage today: Miss Eula Lawrence from Mondstadt versus Nomokonov from Snezhnaya!”

The chief of the tribe Acatl presides over the stage. His booming voice reaches everyone around, and the audience erupts in cheers as the two combatants take their place in the middle of the ring.

“Remember the rules: one round of five minutes. Each fighter needs to either subdue their opponent or throw them out of the ring. At any time you can give up, and if things become too dangerous I will intervene to stop the fight. I’m sure you’ve read up on the finer details, so I won’t bore you with all the rules. Are both fighters ready?”

“Yep,” The tall man taps her fists together aggressively, and then smirks, “From Mondstadt, eh? Is your Archon still as useless as ever? Let’s see how you guys handle a real fight. Not that I’m expecting much.”

Eula frowns. She is usually not one to be provoked by that kind of low level taunt, but she is particularly ticked off right now.

“Enough chatter. You’ve scared my friend, prepare to eat dirt.”

“Your friend? Oh, the little girl over their, trembling like a newborn fawn? No wonder she fled with her tail under her legs. I knew you were all a bunch of cowards, hehe!”

Eula’s stare turns from icy to freezing. The man misses the deadly glare, too occupied he is at taunting his opponent.

“It sounds like our contestants are raring to go!” Acatl roars, “without further ado, get ready to rumble! Three, two, one, fight!”

The giant laughs and winds up a huge punch, so obvious that Eula only needs a half-step to avoid it. The punch creates a powerful gust of wind, and the spectators behind the ropes have to hold on to their flapping clothes to avoid flying away.

“Hmph,” Eula frowns. Despite her earlier proclamation, she knows not to underestimate an opponent. She did not miss the rambling of the Fatui about their close combat against the Traveler…

She observes the man more closely now. Twice as big as herself, with bulging muscles and impressive speed for his size, he doesn’t look comfortable walking around in the relatively small ring. Something to use at her advantage… Eula dodges quite easily each of the man’s punches, waiting for an opportunity to strike. It comes when Nomokonov becomes agitated, no doubt due to punching the air each time.

“Come fight me, you cowardly weasel!”

If punches won’t do… The giant crouches down in his corner and squints his eyes. Eula braces for what is to come.

A loud bang echoes through the arena when he kicks the ground and breaks into a sudden charge, shoulder first, straight towards Eula. Tanking that kind of hit is out of the question, and he knows it: the Fatuus made sure to guide Eula into a corner to cut off all escapes. He rushes in, sure of his victory, when Eula suddenly all but disappears from his view. He rams against the cushioned pillar of the corner, confused as to where she went.

And the answer calls from behind. Eula calculated the gait of his stride and rolled down at the exact right moment to pass between his legs and end up right behind him. Before he has time to turn around, his feet leave the ground unexpectedly. He feels Eula’s arms wrapped around his waist, a vice grip that he finds impossible to wriggle out of now that he is in the air.

“You bitch, let go of me!” he only has time for one last insult before he feels his body turn, once, twice, thrice, and then… he flies right out of the ring. The tall Snezhnayan man crashes head first on the wooden floor several paces away from the ring, in the middle of the spectators who thankfully quickly managed to get away.

“Victory, miss Eula!”

Cheers and loud applause erupt, but Eula is barely listening. Just a little out of breath she looks to the side in search of her friends. Diona laughs and claps atop Ororon – who has inherited the role of photographer since the little girl on his shoulders was way too absorbed into the fight to take pictures. But the other two are not yet back – obviously.

Eula walks towards her downed opponent left grunting on the floor. In an apparent display of sportsmanship she holdx out her hand to help Nomokonov up. Stunned, the man accepts the help…. but when he is halfway up, his hears Eula’s icy whisper in his ear.

“Take your friends and leave this place. Understood?”

“Wha-?” The Fatuus starts to retorts, but he feels his hand getting ice cold, crushed slowly by Eula’s incredibly strong grip. He feels and hears a few cracking sounds… “Ok, ok, got it! I got it!”

All three Fatui of the Tri-Star group walk away under the audiences innocent cheers, unaware of the threat that made them leave.

Back to the Huitzli Hill they go, surely a much safer place where savage people would not find them.

“I’m ok,” Collei says, sipping a hot chocolate drink with everyone else around her at Atolli’s restaurant. But the looks of worry of all her friends drill holes through her face. “I know the Fatui are not all bad. Ororon explained to me what happened during the war after all.” She sighed again. “I’m ok.”

Amber brows furrow. As the saying goes, doctors are the worst patients, and that goes for mental therapists as well, even in training. She sends a glance to Ororon, and they exchange a thumb up. Not that Ororon actually understands what Amber means by it exactly… but to be included in the people caring about Collei as a matter of fact warms his heart.

“So tell me Ororon, what do you like about Collei?” Amber asks out of the blue.

Collei gasps, “Uh?”

Oh, so that’s where we’re going? Ororon smiles and clears his throat, “Well if you must know… Collei is the epitome of cuteness, beauty and intelligence. Why, even my little aphid’s cuteness pales in comparison to hers. With fair skin and pretty hair, as green as a fresh cabbage, who could see anything but perfection in her?”

“Ororon!” Collei is as red as one of Ororon’s tomatoes, but that only makes him continue his praises.

“Right? Right? And do you know? Collei only started learning to read and write a few years ago, but she’s already studying at the Akademiya! Isn’t she smart?” Amber adds another layers of praise, drowning Collei into that warm, embarrassing, cringy feeling that only close friends can provide.

Diona giggles, “Oh me too! Me too! Collei gives the best hugs of all! She’s one of the only people that I let pet my head, because she is soooo gentle!”

Eula observes from the side. She did not realize how upset she was earlier, and the fight itself was but a blur in her memories. Her friends however reminded her why she is fighting. Seeing Collei’s face get back her color, cringing, grimacing, laughing. Experiencing unconditional love. Just like she had.

Another reason to win the following fight, and the next, all the way to her ultimate goal. She shall crush everyone who opposes her, for herself, for Amber, for her family.

The tournament continues and Eula makes her way easily to the finals. Her little group of friends grows confident, readying themselves for her final fight against Varesa, the reigning champion.

That would have been the case, of course, if Varesa hadn’t lost her last fight against an unexpected guest from afar.

Chapter Text

A few moments ago, Varesa’s fight…

“You got this Varesa!”

All her regular fans are present and already cheering for her with their drums and whistles, some of them even wearing fake white horns on their heads to imitate her looks. Varesa on the other hand is both thrilled by her quick rise to the semi-finals, and dejected to once again find no opponent strong enough or appealing to her tastes. She is not exactly dreaming of a dashing Prince Charming like in those novels Citlali gave her; ever since she hugged her first boyfriend and accidentally crushed all the bones in his body, she has been looking for a man that would be able to sustain her love without breaking… And for many years her search has been fruitless.

When the wrestling competition opened to the whole world, she became hopeful. But now that she has reached the semi-finals only one unknown opponent remains, reducing her chances to just one random person. She has heard that the other semi-final match ended with Eula’s win. At the very least, the battle against the Lady from Mondstadt should prove interesting, if nothing else.

Her opponent in her semi-final is from Inazuma, or so she heard. Could that person be one of those legendary “samurai”? Maybe a nobleman of gentle disposition, polite to a fault yet hiding the strength of ten men? Her daydreaming is quickly cut short by a roar coming from the other side of the arena where her opponent appears, shattering the image she has built into pieces.

“Mwahahaha! Make way for the pinnacle of Inazuma’s wrestling world, the One and Oni, Arrrrrataki Itto!”

Varesa’s eyes grow wide. The man approaching with all the confidence in the world is wearing such revealing clothes that she doesn’t know where to look. Not that Natlan men aren’t used to showing off their skin, but that one looks particularly well built, and his demeanor betrays his unyielding self-confidence. Apart from his baggy pants held up by a bulky belt (is that the head of a bull on it?), the man’s torso is basically nude albeit covered in intricate red tattoos. As he makes his way towards the ring, his pecs and abs bulge very intentionally – a sight that piques her fancy very quickly. He rambles on about his impressive-sounding past achievements, but what attracts Varesa’s eyes is something on his head, above his long white hair.

He has the most adorable pair of horns Varesa has ever seen! The only people she knows with real horns are her family, and they all have bulky, bull-sized horns. An impressive contrast to the man coming into the ring with horns barely longer than his fingers. So cute!

“Contestant Varesa, please come up!” Acatl the referee calls out to her, snapping her out of her musing.

“Ah, yes, coming!”

Itto joins her and after a reminder of the rules the two combatants move to the center of the ring for one last greeting and taunt.

“Hello, horny girl!” Itto shouts with a large smile on his face, “Not everyday I get to see a lady built for a fight like you! Let’s have a nice duel, shall we?”

Varesa on the other hand keeps a serious look on her face. She straighten, trying to summon the confidence of all the heroes she admires. If this man can take her on in a fight… Maybe he could take her on in another way? “Please fight with all your might! It’s very important to me!” For the first time she has her eyes set on someone who seems to tick all her preferences. The only thing she needs now is to ensure he can take the full brunt of her strength… and live.

Itto shuts up for a moment mouth agape in surprise at her unusual demand. He sizes her up, and quickly nods. “So you know how much power I hide? You’ve got good eyes, pretty girl! Let me show you what I am made of!”

“Yes! Thank you!”

The countdown starts and the combatants take their fighting stance, both suddenly highly motivated.

The fight starts in an instant!

“Headbutt!” Varesa hits Itto immediately with a powerful frontal assault. But this isn’t Itto’s first time fighting a headstrong fighter. He could easily dodge the telegraphed attack, but her taunt at the beginning of the fight moves him to take her attack head on: he crouches down to lower his center of gravity, avoids her horns and wraps his arms around her, pushing his shoulder against hers to try and stop her charge.

Despite his quick counter Itto still slips a couple of paces from the point of impact, but he remains standing with Varesa locked in his arms. To the audience the two of them look like a pair of tatankasaurs with their horns locked, stamping on the ground to regain the advantage in a battle of strength.

Varesa is pleasantly surprised, but she doesn’t let up. “Charge!” she screams, kicking the floor and pushing Itto off his feet. Both fighters grunt when Itto gets caught against the ropes, preventing him from getting thrown out of bounds too easily.

Itto smirks despite his precarious position. To see someone fight with such spirit rouses his own and he immediately summons his superhuman strength to push bash, using the tension of the ropes behind him. Varesa has no choice but to let go and step back from the counter.

After getting her breath back, Varesa charges again, head first. This time Itto steps aside and raises his arm to catch her head in a daring lariat attempt. He almost succeeds… but Varesa is not quick on her feet: she tilts her head in a split second and captures Itto’s arm between her horns instead. The oni loses his balance and feels his body twisting. Varesa is getting ready to throw him out of the ring!

“No way!” he screams. Just as he was about to fly above the ropes, he grabs the pillar of the corner with his free arm and tenses all the muscles in his body, stopping almost in midair. Varesa looks up in awe, and that split second of surprise turns out to be very costly. Itto still has his arm wrapped in her horns. All he has to do is flex his forearm to throw her off her feet and onto the ground. With a loud thud Varesa falls and before she realizes it Itto is on top of her, stopping all her movements with an unorthodox but efficient armlock. She struggles and grunts, unable to get out or roll away. She twists her body some more, but soon realizes that the fight is over.

“Victory for Itto!”
Stunned by the sudden loss of their champion, the spectators take a few seconds to react. Nonetheless they clap and cheer for the unexpected victor from Inazuma.

“You ok there?” Itto asks with heavy breaths, reaching down to offer his hand to Varesa.

“Uh? Oh! Yes… Yes!” she responds, at a loss for words. She lost! Maybe, just maybe, that man could be the one? She will have to make sure by watching the final match.

“We missed the fight, sorry Varesa,” Amber waves at her when the little group finally finds Varesa after the end of her fight.

“Oh, hi guys! It’s fine… I lost, but it was a great fight!”

Eula leans closer, “So, how was your opponent? I heard he was particularly strong?”

Varesa’s eyes sparkle, “Oh! He was very strong! Well built – ripped even –, with very cute horns. He’s got an interesting tattoo on his chest as well, and when he-”

“Um, I meant as a fighter?” Eula coughs in her hand. “Since I’m going to fight him, I thought you could give me some intel.”

“Oh. Oh.” Varesa turns red. She fumbles with her words for a few seconds, trying to get a hold of her thoughts to answer the question. “He’s… incredibly strong. The only people stronger I’ve fought might be Iansan and the Pyro Archon.”

“Wow! I can’t wait to see Eula kick his butt then! Haha!” Diona giggles but still manages to pat Varesa on the head as she is still perched on Ororon’s shoulders.

“That’s right,” Ororon says, “You will be avenged soon enough. I have been told this is miss Eula’s specialty.”

Amber scoffs and hugs her girlfriend’s arm, “No pressure, right?”

“Hmph, no matter. I shall crush any obstacle that bars my path. The prize is mine.”

“Ooh, fighting words, I like that! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so fired up, ma Chérie!”

Eula turns her attention down to Amber, her gaze serious but gentle, “I have my reasons. Please watch carefully, Amber.”

The final match of the competition gathers almost every living person in and around the Collective of Plenty, as well as most of the tourists, and a good number of saurians too. Such a grandiose match up after a full day of battles, upsets and spectacular victories makes everyone giddy with anticipation. With the two finalists being strangers from far away lands, every eyes will fall upon the victor with greed and adoration. To win such a prestigious competition should bring glory and fame to anyone. And that’s what Eula is aiming for.

“Are the two fighters ready?” Acatl screams louder than he ever has to be heard by the crowd, but he can barely talk over the incredibly electric and noisy assembly.

“You got this Eula!” Amber shouts in the corner all excitedly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be long.” Eula once again proudly walks to the center of the ring, her demeanor enough to taunt her opponent.

Itto stomps on the ground like a sumo from his homeland, unshaken, “Oh yeah? Big words for a lady half my size!”

Eula scans him up and down with an icy glare, “Mathematics or optics are obviously not your forte to utter such gibberish. How boorish.”

“Ha! Look at you bringing out the big words already! Well I’ve brought my big guns today, let’s see you wriggle your tongue after I crush you!” Itto roars and laughs out loud. But discreetly he leans over his corner, “Hey, Shinobu? What did she mean?”

His second sighs barely stopping herself from facepalming, “She means that you’re a dumb idiot. And honestly I think she’s right?”

Itto jerks back in pretend disgust and turns back towards Eula, “Hey, you! How dare you look down upon the mighty, the ferocious, the pinnacle of Inazuma’s Wrestling world, Arrrrataki Itto!” He flexes his arms, very obviously facing not his opponent, but the audience. And it works: a group of die hard fans have already formed in his side of the ring, chanting his name and cheering for him the loudest of all the spectators. Right behind the ropes a new fan lady with big horns looks up with sparkles in her eyes. Itto recognizes her and winks, full of confidence. This pretty woman he just bested seems to fancy him quite a bit… and so he shall show her what he is made of!

“The two fighters are ready, and the crowd is on fire! Let’s the final match begiiiin! Three, Two, One! Fiiiight!”

The audience erupts in cheers, and the volcano above, right on cue, explodes and paints the sky in the colors of the pyro nation. The lighting on the ring changes from the gentle blueish white of the sunny sky to the fiery red hue of the falling melted rocks all around. Another suspiciously auspicious eruption, but no one bothers worrying about it for the fight in front of them is way more impressive and captivating than a mundane volcanic eruption.

Uncharacteristically Eula is the first to attack with a swift kick towards Itto’s head, but he blocks with his horns and throw her leg away. Itto immediately counters with a punch and Eula nimbly evades. Another punch, followed by a shove of his shoulder, both only hitting the air.

“Hmph!” Contrary to all her previous fights, Eula doesn’t wait for counters anymore. She looks determined, to show that she is not only a proficient fighter who knows how to preserve her strength and strike at the right time, but also-

BLAM

The two fighters crash into each other, grabbing their opponent’s shoulders and pushing with all their strength.

Eula wants to show her innate power as well, and incredibly she manages to hold her own against the one who threw the local champion out of the ring a few minutes prior. Trapped in each other’s arms, none of them can take a step forward. The deadlock is intense, the ring bathed in fiery red and steam as both fighters heat up from the effort. They grunt and push, yet none move. The spectators cheer more loudly now, urging their preferred fighter to break the tension.

The cheers of the audience do not reach Eula’s ears anymore. Her eyes are locked in her opponent’s, her muscles all over strained to the maximum of their capacity. She focuses her mind on her goal. An indomitable strength, a power strong enough to overcome any adversity, to conquer her family’s hegemony over her life. For Amber, and for herself, she shall crush every rock in her way.

“Uh?” Itto gasps in disbelief. When he thought Eula was finally going to give way, instead he feels his feet slide back on the ground.

One step back.

Two steps, then three.

Inexorably he is pushed back by a wall of ice, a glacier of unmeasurable strength forging it’s path through the rocks.

His back soon touches the ropes of the ring, and he starts to sweat. Deep down he knows he should be better in raw strength, but to be pushed back so easily? In a desperate effort Itto pivots on his feet and throws Eula against the ropes using her own inertia against her. He lets out a breath, but it is too early. Eula actually went with the flow and pushed herself against the ropes to gain even more speed. Before he can even blink Eula tackles him, but instead of throwing him to the floor like any reasonable fighter would do against an opponent of his size, she instead grabs his waist, throws him over her shoulder and starts to run to the edge of the ring. The sight of the comparatively smaller woman with the giant oni takes everyone’s breath away.

“Ahhh!” she screams, an unexpected inelegant yet powerful shout full of power and strength, unstoppable.

“Fuck, let me go!” Itto thrashes, punches and kicks in the air – some of his attacks actually land, drawing blood on Eula’s face – but she doesn’t even flinch. She continues her unstoppable race towards the side of the arena, twists her body and lets him fly, high above his own corner, beyond the limits of the ring, and onto the ground. The crash of the massive oni onto the ground rumbles and echoes all throughout the cavern, signifying the end of the fight.

The cheers of the crowd drown out the volcano’s still ongoing eruption. It takes a while for the spectators to calm down and let the referee declare the winner.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please give it up for our new champion, Miss Eulaaaa Lawrence!”

Eula pants heavily and looks around groggily. It takes her a few moments to realize what she has done. A metal taste reminds her that she is bleeding. She absentmindedly takes out her handkerchief and soaks in the blood trickling from her forehead. Once she has finally calmed down, she turns her attention towards her corner. But she can’t see Amber there.

“Eula!” her girlfriend is already on the ring, and she runs towards her! Amber prepares to jump into Eula’s arms… but Eula is faster. She takes Amber off her feet, bends her over in her arms, and dives for a passionate kiss. Amber tenses up in surprise, eyes wide and full of excitement. And then she relaxes, snuggling closer and wrapping her arms around Eula’s neck to allow her lover to deepen her pledge of love.

The audience has once again fallen silent, awed by such an extraordinary display of affection. But it is short lived for the cheers come back louder than before. Numerous positive comments congratulate the show.

“So bold!”

“Wow! Is that how Mondstadters show their love? It’s so romantic!”

“I gotta do this with my boyfriend…”

In Itto’s corner, his new fan and admirer takes in the sight, and takes notes. “Me too…” she mumbles enviably, sending glances towards Itto who is just standing back up on wobbly legs. She looks on with a smile as his second, Shinobu, orders him to go back on the ring to salute his opponent.

“Well done…” Itto grumbles.

“You fought admirable, mister Itto,” Eula says with her free hand. The other she keeps wrapped securely around Amber’s waist, unwilling to let go of her a single second. Of course her girlfriend is enjoying the overprotective treatment, snuggling even closer against Eula’s side with a love-struck look in her eyes.

“A few words from the victor?” Acatl asks after getting on the ring as well.

Eula looks around. She realizes only now that hundreds of eyes are looking at her. Men and women from all over not just Natlan, but also all other nations. And they no doubt did not miss her improvised pledge of love with Amber. She coughs in her fist, but she looks determined now. “Thank you everyone. I wouldn’t be here today if is wasn’t for everyone in the Knights of Favonius back in Mondstadt, as well as my friends and companions who came with me all the way from Mondstadt and Sumeru. Collei over there, and Diona as well –”

She points to her corner. Diona waves around happily, taking advantage of her high vantage point thanks to Ororon who lifts her high up over his head with a proud look on his face.

Collei on the other hand dares not look around, overwhelmed by the eyes gathering on her. She tries to hide behind Ororon, but the glances come from every direction. Instead she looks back at Eula and smiles. To see Eula and Amber together and happy… that is enough for her. Instinctively she glances to the side at Ororon… thinking that maybe this kind of happiness could become hers as well.

Eula continues, “– and of course the main reason I am here, is for the love my life.” She looks down and plunges into the amber eyes of her lover. “Amber, I shall pledge today to regain the control of my family, and offer to you my family name.” Eula leans closer and whispers, “And my heart.” Immediately she starts fumbling, “If-if you you would have me?”

Amber giggles, all red in the face from the unexpected declaration, “Of course, Eula. I love you!”

Eula can’t control herself and hugs her again, “I love you too… so, so much.” Her intense emotions seldom surface so obviously, but for once she let herself go. Forget everyone else.

“Oookay…” Itto whispers. Still on the ring he did not dare walk away, for fear of breaking the important moment – a rare insight from him. He looks at his corner to find Shinobu beckoning him to leave silently, which he does dejectedly, still not completely satisfied with the way the fight went. Maybe the pretty lady from the previous match is still there? She did look quite interested in him. But after a quick look around he finds no trace of Varesa. Even she must have judged him too weak to stay around. A shame… Itto pouts and follows Shinobu out of the arena, ignoring the comforting cheers from his new fans.

Chapter Text

After a full day of fighting and enjoying Eula’s victory in the wrestling championship, the little group is invited to the former champion’s home for dinner.

“She said she’d like to offer me her congratulations in person before her personal training session tomorrow,” Eula says with a pinch of pride underlying her voice, which escapes none of her companions.

Amber giggles happily as she walks arm in arm with her girlfriend. She has been glued to her – even more so than usual – after Eula’s victory, barely leaving her side when she absolutely has to. Eula herself smugly parades around, showing off the lady who she proclaimed her love to. As they make their way through the city, many Natlanese send the couple acknowledging nods and well meaning smiles.

Collei follows behind with Diona, whose hand she holds, and Ororon, whose hand she does not dare to, “I can’t wait to see what Miss Iansan looks like, everyone said that we’d be surprised. Is she that intimidating?”

Ororon nods mischievously, “I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

“Is she even bigger than a tatankasaur?” Diona asks, half excited, half nodding off, like an energetic kitten on the verge of falling asleep.

“Do you want me to carry you again?” Ororon asks after seeing the little cat girl miss a step, “I offer a discount for friends.”

“Bleh, no thanks! I can just ask Eula!”

“Nu-uh,” says Amber a few step ahead, “She’s taken!”

“… then Collei?” Diona turns her suddenly moist and pleading eyes towards the one she now considers a big sister.

Collei tries to keep herself from laughing out loud at that cute persuasion attempt which has become a habit between the two. But she soon stops in her tracks, “I’d love to, but… I think we’ve arrived already.”

And indeed, the group finds itself in front of a modest building with no particular distinction expect the wide field behind it full of training apparatus and tracks, with a couple of tatankasaurs grazing in the middle, seemingly standing guard.

“Ehem, allow me,” Ororon steps forward and knocks on the door with the familiarity of someone visiting an old friend.

The door creaks open, to reveal an old lady with gray hair and harsh traits, and of a particularly short build.

“Hello granny,” Ororon says with a wave, ”I bring the victors of today’s competition! Is Iansan home already?”

“Oh my! Hello Ororon dear, I wasn’t expecting you too! Come in, come in, there is enough room for everyone! Iansan just went to fetch her apprentice.”

Iansan’s home is surprisingly cozy with the main communal room filled with a few short tables and a bunch of colorful cushions lying around haphazardly around them, comfortably inviting. The walls are covered with trophies and woven scrolls, with a few paintings and traditional clothes and accessories as well.

“Um, I thought it looked bigger inside at first,” Collei says aloud what everyone else thinks as she takes a seat. Upon further consideration, the place looks built for children, or more accurately for small people.

“That’s because our family is like this,” A booming voice says coming from the door. Everyone turns around to see a lady with very short legs, white short hair and piercing purple eyes smiling at them with confidence. “I’m home! Hi Mom, where’s Dad?” she moves swiftly to hug the old woman who welcomed the group earlier.

“He’s coming back with some more food,” Iansan’s mother says with a chuckle, “Why don’t you say hi to your guests?”

“Of course,” Iansan says, beckoning the person behind her to get inside as well.

“Thank you for allowing me into your home,” Shinobu says politely. She bows to Iansan’s mother before following Iansan silently.

“Oh, you are that Itto guy’s friend, right?” Amber asks suddenly.

“This is Kuki Shinobu, my temporary apprentice for a few days,” Iansan says, as once again Shinobu bows to greets the people already there.

“Greetings everyone, thanks you all for coming at this unofficial celebration!”

Everyone waves at them except for Diona who squints with suspicion at the two new ladies.

The small assembly quickly settles down in the comfy home and starts drinking snacks as small talk and ice breaking conversations morphs into interesting discussions and banter.

“So yeah, Itto will not be joining us tonight, sorry coach Iansan,” Shinobu says, “And neither should Varesa, since she’s the one who kidnapped him.”

“So that’s what happened…” Iansan laughs with a full cup of juice in hand.

“Maybe we should check on them, Varesa is always hungry. Wait, you don’t think… she kidnapped him to eat him?!” Ororon stops talking with a sudden pretend realization.

Collei rolls her eyes and elbows him, “Pfft come on Ororon, Varesa is so sweet, she wouldn’t hurt anyone! Let alone eat him!”

Amber and Eula chuckle and nod knowingly, “Oh, sweet Sumeru child…”

The adults laugh at the innuendo, leaving the more innocent Collei and Diona to wonder what is so funny about this.

“I don’t get it,” Diona says with a handful of crackers in her hand which she stuffs herself with happily. She’s not one to stay silent for too long though, for once again she has a few tactless questions to throw around. She shoots a first salve, “Hey Iansan, why are you so short?”

“Diona!” Eula scowls, and Amber laughs.

Iansan’s mother sits downs next to the inquisitive little girl and pats her head gently, “That’s a family curse,” she says as a matter of fact.

“Mom! Don’t say that,” Iansan retorts as though they’d have this argument many times. “It’s just genetics, we’re a family of dwarfs, that’s it.”

“Oh, you mean you’re magical creatures, like the gnomes back home?” Diona’s ears perk up suddenly.

Iansan laughs, “No, we’re humans. It’s just our nature. Some people are tall, some people are short. In our family we are very, very short.”

“Like a curse,” the Mom says with a smirk.

“Whatever,” Iansan rolls her eyes knowing she’d never win that argument.

“Then how old are you?” Diona doubles down.

“Old enough to find a mate and have children,” Iansan’s mom chuckles as she strategically retreats to the kitchen.

Iansan grunts loudly, leaving everyone else to laugh and continue eating in the light and jovial atmosphere.

“Yeah, I can see it,” Amber says as she squints her eyes.

Shinobu and Collei have moved closer and have been in a heated conversation about therapy, anger management and other psychological considerations. Meanwhile, the rest have discreetly come to realize how strikingly similar the two young ladies look together. Short green hair, purple eyes, similar build and height, even some of their calculated gestures and manners look eerily similar.

“You could be sisters I wouldn’t be surprised,” Ororon says. “Though I do have a preference,” he adds with an exaggerated wink towards Collei. Thankfully her blush is overshadowed by Shinobu’s quick reply.

“If you mean our hair and eyes colors, you’re mistaken,” she says with a wave of her hand, “I’m wearing special magic to change my eye color, and I’ve dyed my hair. Yours are natural, right Collei?”

“Um… yeah?” Except maybe for her eye colors which may not have been purple originally, but that is not something she’d rather bring up right now. She feels pretty good and comfortable despite been in a stranger’s home. Not a good time to start brooding. And yet…

She feels a tender touch on her hand. “Hey, you ok?” Ororon asks in a whisper. She blinks a few times, and then nods and takes Ororon’s hand into hers.

Yeah, she’s fine.

During the whole meal, Iansan has been observing her new guests with her trained eyes.

She already has a good idea of what she will suggest to Eula, who is very obviously very well trained and in perfect control of her body. She looks forward to help her fine tune her regimen.

Next is the strange girl with a long eared bow on her head constantly attached to Eula’s side. She looks so carefree, eating from everything with no apparent control. And yet Iansan can see how fit and sharp she is from just her demeanor and the few gestures she makes – when she is not constantly hugging Eula that is.

Then, there this young woman from Sumeru. When Iansan landed her eyes on her, she almost frowned. She looks healthy, but the way she moves is like she is afraid that any motion might hurt her. Given her current fitness however, the coach surmises that it’s a remnant of her past. Something she has apparently overcome. She decides to keep an eye on her.

Finally, the little cat girl piques Iansan’s interest for how amusing she behaves. Quite like a cat, as expected, including the way she barely makes any noise when she walks around. Her gestures may still be juvenile, but she moves with a surprising grace and ease. More worrying however is the fact she seems particularly tired, even though she tries to appear cheerful and easygoing. Maybe it’s too late already, but Iansan decides to have a word with Eula before they go back.

Loud crashing noises outside suddenly rip her out of her analytic brainstorming.

“Wazzat??” Diona jumps and hisses, before hiding behind Iansan’s mom.

The old lady pats Diona’s head again to calm her down, “It’s alright, just Tollan throwing a tantrum.”

“Who?”

“The volcano,” Iansan says. “I’m sure you’ve seen and heard it erupt multiple times already. As long as you stay in the settlement or on the slopes and path with the proper markings, you’ll be safe.”

“What’s that about markings?” Amber asks, suddenly reminded of one of her goals. “Is there actually a way to climb the volcano?”

Iansan observes the bunny-looking girl for a few moments before answering. “There is, but it’s not for amateurs. You need to have either a vision and proper preparation, or heavy training to even be allowed to go up there.”

Amber sparkles with anticipation, “Then we could go all the way up there, like I told you guys!”

Eula leans closer, ”Are you sure Amber? It could be dangerous with the children.”

“I’m fine, I’d really like to go up there too,” Collei says, pumping her fists.

“Me too!” Diona throw her paw in the air as well.

“And why’s that?” Eula asks.

“To glide down from there!” Amber, Collei and Diona all answer as one with wide smiles on their faces. Somehow they’ve all become excited about the promising adventure of scaling an active volcano and flying off its slopes. Children of the wind to be sure.

“We’ll see about that,” Eula says with a cough. She is not entirely against the idea, but she’ll have to check if the journey is actually feasible and reasonably safe.

That being said, her mind is quickly brought back to what has been occupying her thoughts for most of the day… Amber.

Not so discreetly, the two of them have been flirting for the whole dinner. A little kiss on the cheek here, a caress on the back there, a few wandering hands, giggles and whispers in each other’s ears. More surprising, Eula is the one getting bolder as time passes. And Amber is enjoying the attention with joy and playfulness. There is no alcohol present on the table today – to Diona’s relief – but the two of them are both blushing conspicuously.

At some point Eula gets a bit too daring… and Collei thinks it is time to remind them they are in company.

“Hey you two, get a room!” she says with a half serious pout.

Eula flinches. She stops when she is about to give a kiss to Amber, who already has her eyes closed. She furrows her brows.

“...You’re right Collei.” And then in the same heartbeat, “Coach Iansan, I am going to call it a day with Amber. Collei, Diona you can stay a bit longer, but please make sure you both come to the dormitory directly after leaving.” She eyes Ororon as well, “Young man, I expect you to be on proper behavior while we’re gone. Can I count on you to escort those two safely?”

“Your wish is my command, Ma’am.”

Eula stares back coldy.

“...Yes Miss Eula.”

“Good. See you all tomorrow morning then.”

Iansan stops just her before she leaves, “Oh wait, are you participating in the morning jog tomorrow morning? Everyone’s welcome. We’ve got every level too.”

Eula looks down at Amber squirming in her arms. They nod to each other. “We will. Collei, Diona, you can go as well if you wish.”

“Okay!”

“Take care you too.”

And on that the two lovebirds quickly left for a late night escapade.

“Well, they are lively!” Iansan’s mom chuckles. “You know you could stay here for the night if you prefer.”

“Oh. I wouldn’t want to impose,” Collei says as Diona is already starting to nod off next to her.

But someone else responds unexpectedly, “Actually I’d like to take you up on that offer.”

“Uh? Ororon?”

“Yeah, actually I didn’t exactly plan to stay for so long, so I didn’t really plan for where to sleep.”

Collei looks at him in surprise. “Didn’t you say you had business with Varesa?”

Ororon smiles, then leans over, “Actually the reason I came here was to see you. I just found an excuse. And, something tells me I won’t be able to sleep at Varesa’s tonight like I did yesterday.”

“Oh.” Collei once again turns red, for a few reasons. After mumbling a few incoherent sentences, she finally said she would go back to the inn with Diona since she was feeling sleepy as well.

The night in the Collective of Plenty is never truly dark as it is constantly illuminated by the raging fires at the top of the volcano. As Diona, Collei and Ororon make their way back to the inn, they finally cool down in the chilly air of the night.

Ororon escorts them properly and bids them good bye, like promised.

Another day of battles, another day of bruises and losses and victories.

And yet the next day would be the bloodiest since they started their journey.

Chapter Text

“Amber, Eula wake up! We’ve got a special morning jog today!”

Contrary to what has become a habit in their journey, the one in charge of making sure everyone gets up on time is not Amber, but Collei. The aforementioned Outrider is uncharacteristically still limply sprawled on her bed, and it takes her a full minute to actually wake up.

“We… we’re getting up, thank you Collei,” Eula replies in the bunk bed just below Amber’s with her voice as sleepy. But she does have a good excuse: the battles of the previous days were harsh on her body, with a few bruises still showing on her skin. “I’ll take care of Amber. How’s Diona?”

Collei looks towards the bunk bed above hers, from where the cat girl slowly climbs down without a word, her eyes still half-shut. “Um… Diona was also slow to wake up. Am I really the only one who got a good night’s sleep?”

“That’s not too important, you can skip the morning run if you want,” Eula says as she gently pulls on Amber’s arm.

Amber’s head jolts up suddenly, “Hey I may be tired but I’ll never miss an opportunity to train and run around a new place!”

“As expected. What about you Diona?” Collei moves closer to the girl who rummages through her bag, “You really look tired, maybe you should skip this time?”

But Diona’s ears perk up on her head just when Collei gets closer, “No, I’m fine! I’m just under the weather, that’s all!” And without another word she sprints out to the bathrooms to wash up and change.

The other women are a bit concerned, but Eula shrugs, “I’ll keep one eye on her in the beginner’s group. I don’t want to exert myself today anyway. Collei, will you accompany us?”

“Yeah, I want to take it easy today too. It’ll probably be easier than what Amber pulled me through until now…”

“Hey, you can’t make progress if you don’t push your limits!”

“Amber, that only happens for muscle-brained people like you,” Eula says as Amber sleepily hugs her from behind, “I guess we’ll be all three in the beginner group, and Amber shall go in…”

“In the elite group, of course! Hehe!”

The sun is just peeking above the surface of the water beyond the People of the Source to the East when the group joins up with the other early risers for the organized morning jog. Unsurprisingly there are quite a lot of people, mostly locals who are chatting around, but also a few tourists who take the opportunity to taste what kind of training the famously fit people of the Collective of Plenty go through on a daily basis. A few heads look on curiously when they recognize yesterday’s victor, but thankfully most people seem to mind their own business.

Amber waves good bye at her friends as she joins the elite groups, led by Iansan.

Eula’s stare lingers a little on her girlfriend’s back, until she is satisfied Amber has found the people she needs. “Alright, ladies, ready? Remember, you don’t have to tire yourself out,” Eula checks that each of her own has a little bottle of water in a bag on their side, and they follow their group as they take the path out of the settlement to the South of the Island. They start off with a light jog, to warm up for the first part of the little trip around the volcano.

Amber observes her friends disappear behind an outcrop before greeting the few people of her group.

“Morning guys!” she says, energetic as ever.

“Good Morning Miss Amber,” Iansan replies politely as she finishes tying her shoes, “That should be the last of us?”

“That’s right!” Varesa shouts and pumps her fist to the sky, excited and raring to go.

“You bet I am!” Right next to her Itto can’t stop himself from puffing his chest proudly and showing off his energy, but the dark circles around his eyes tell a different story.

“Let’s go then. Our own path is a bit different than the beginners’. We’ll take a few shortcuts through very steep slopes. This will really test your stamina and strength!” Iansan smiles, “That being said, don’t worry if it’s too much for you. Remember, this is just basic training.”

Everyone nods and the elite runners start off after one last set of warm up exercises, following Iansan’s mandatory instructions.

The beginner’s group is slow, but light hearted and friendly. For a few of the runners this is really just an excuse for a leisurely tour of the island. And indeed, the sights all around are breathtaking: the ocean waves in the early morning are painted dark and orange from the perpetual volcanic ejections, which contrasts with the yellowish blue of the morning sky.

However after a few minutes of running the effort appears to be too much for Diona who slows down gradually. Regretfully she accepts Eula’s offer to carry her on her back again.

But thankfully she still enjoys the journey: on their way they see several animals endemic to the Atocpan region, including the strange-looking furnace shell weasel, playing with a weird mechanical ball. Upon seeing it for the first time Diona starts to hiss and cackle even though it is remains quite far away from the joggers. Some of the neighboring runners chuckle at the cute scene, but after a while they begin to realize how early Diona always manages to detect each beast, sometimes a minute before they even see it, and the few hunters in their ranks start to view her with actual respect for her innate talent at scouting. At one point she says she hears a distant growl towards the sea to the South West… but the Natlanese natives who hear her insist there is nothing beyond the sea in that direction.

Collei is straining near the end of the loop, but she doesn’t want to show her weakness to Eula or Diona. The reality is that her body is still not as healthy as someone her age should. But she has that youthful energy and motivation – not to forget a love prospect now – that makes her double her efforts. Small steps, she reminds herself as she presses on.

After a little under an hour, the beginner’s group arrives back at the Collective of Plenty, and with no surprise the elite group has arrived ahead of them… with every one of their members panting on all four on the ground, except for Iansan.

“Really? That wasn’t even the hardest path,” Iansan is already lecturing them. She shakes her head, “Let me guess, you all tired yourself out yesterday. I should have known.”

Itto and Amber look at each other and smirk, “Guilty as charged, Ma’am!”

Itto shouts as he sits down, “No regret though, haha!” he winks in Varesa’s direction in what he thinks is a discreet gesture, but all he manages to do is bring a blush on Varesa’s cheeks.

Iansan sighs but shrugs, “It’s fine as long as you rest up after this. Next time tell me if you’re not at 100%, I can always change the difficulty.”

Amber salutes from habit, “Yes Ma’am!”

“Oh, Eula! Collei! Over here!” She stands back up and waves at the beginner’s group’s arrival, “Hm? Diona?”

“Oh,” Eula suddenly realizes why the last few minutes of the run have been quiet: the girl on her back has fallen asleep, with a subtle purr in guise of snoring. Eula nudges her little passenger, “She really was tired. Diona? Wake up, we’re back.”

Her little eyelids flutter open and she yawns slowly. But then her eyes open up fully after looking down at Eula’s back.

“Eula!” she shouts, making everyone jump, “You’re bleeding!”

Diona jumps off Eula’s back and starts panicking as she points to a small patch of blood on Eula’s shirt.

“Hm? But I don’t feel anything. Amber, if you would be so kind?”

A quick inspection from her girlfriend reveals no injury at all under her clothes. Which means… Diona is the one who’s bleeding.

Amber starts to panic but Eula quickly traps her in her arms, “Calm down Amber. Collei, can you take care of Diona? Is it what I think?”

Collei does not wait for Eula’s request, of course, “Diona, do you mind if I check something?”

They find a discreet place and after another quick inspection of Diona’s clothes, an obvious verdict is reached.

“Diona, you haven’t had your period before, right?” Collei asks gently.

The cat girl looks at her with a frown, which soon turns into a face of realization, and relief.

“Ohhhhh! So that’s what it is!”

“You don’t sound too surprise, I take it you know what that means?”

“Yeah, Mom taught me.”

“Oh, perfect!” Collei turns around, “Amber, can you – wait, where is she?”

Eula sighs, “She ran off to our dorm to get her bag.”

Collei turns back and smiles reassuringly, “How are you feeling Diona?”

“I’m tired…”

“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up and changed, and then you can take a nap, ok?”

“Everything alright over here? Is anyone injured?” Iansan approaches cautiously. As the organizer of the morning run, she shoulders the responsibility for injuries incurred during it. But the way the Mondstadt ladies behaved gave her a hint as to what is happening.

“What’s up?” Itto pops right behind her, “Is some – ouch!” In an instant Iansan throws him back ten steps with a palm strike right to his center of gravity, flattening him against a rocky wall with a loud bang.

“Stay back, this isn’t for you. Varesa, can you keep that nosy man in check?”

“Hey, I’m not just a man, I’m an oni! The One and hmph–”

“Sorry coach Iansan! I’ll take care of him!” Varesa bows her head apologetically, throws Itto on her shoulder like a sack of potato despite his loud complaints, and runs away before he has the time to retorts.

“So that’s probably why you were feeling tired these last few days. I should have suspected it…” Collei says after helping Diona clean up and change into a new set of clothes.

Eula shakes her head, “It is early for a menarche indeed, but it is not unheard of at her age. In any case we’ll go see the doctor Iansan suggested just to make sure everything’s alright. Diona, how does it feel? Can you move around?”

The cat girl twirls and walks a little, “It’s alright!”

“I’ll have to check if we can get some more protection in your size. Worst case scenario we can keep giving you some of ours, but they might not suit you.”

“Oh, actually it should be fine,” Collei says, “When I talked with Iansan, she said their pharmacies in the major settlements have recently stocked up on different regions styles of hygiene products. I’ll go check them with Amber to see what they have from Mondstadt.”

Eula tries not to show the surprise on her face. To go so far to promote their tourism as to even think about such a thing… whoever is in charge of organizing the nation is not to be underestimated – likely a woman of power and wisdom. “Well, that should make the rest of our journey easier, now that I know this.”

The rest of the day is spent at Iansan’s place, where Eula is finally able to meet Iansan in her professional capacity. As Iansan and Shinobu run her through a battery of tests and complicated discussions about exercise and diets, on the side of the training field Amber and Collei keep an eye on Diona, all curled up in a hammock in a deep yet peaceful nap, clutching a little Baron Bunny doll in her arms.

“Hey there, how’s Diona?” Ororon appears, breaking into Amber and Collei’s conversation as they were chatting in low voices.

“Still napping. She’s fine, just tired.”

“I, uh, brought a few things? Chocolate, some fruits, honey, erm, a saurian-shaped warming bottle?” Fumbling around with a large bag, the young man sits down as he lists the few things he brought. “Granny helps around often in our tribe for this kind of matter, so she taught me stuff for when, erm… Anyway if you need anything, just tell me.”

He leaves quickly, obviously not too comfortable.

Amber smirks, “Ahaha, looks like you won’t have to worry about anything with Ororon around!”

“Pfft, come on he’s cute!” Collei smiles fondly, “Besides, I’m not that needy!”

“Says the girl who turns into a gremlin once a month!” Amber chuckles as Collei throws a mock punch at her shoulder, “I’m just glad it doesn’t look like Diona’s in pain,” she adds. “Eula and I aren’t exactly lucky in that regard.”

Collei ponders, “I know you already have your special warming Baron Bunny, but I’ve also got special herbal poultices if you want to try next time? And –”

“Hmm…” Diona shifts and stretches as she wakes up.

“Oh Diona, how are you feeling? Hungry? Thirsty?”

Collei dotingly gives her little cat sister a few things to eat from what Ororon brought.

“You look better Diona. Slept well?”

“Hm.”

“...Still a bit one of sort, uh,” Collei says as she checks on her, “We’ve have a talk with Eula, and we think we should stay a few days, just enough for you to rest up. How does that sound?”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a dead weight…” Diona mumbles, “I know how much you both want to visit the Night people and the Feather Clan.”

Amber smiles reassuringly, “The Flower-Feather Clan can wait! We’re on vacation, and we agreed to take our time, remember?”

“Hm… ok,” Diona relaxes and squeezes herself between Amber and Collei who welcome her with a little hug.

A couple of days pass before Diona’s tiredness bout ends.

During that time Iansan extends her training time with Eula, to her delight, and with Shinobu’s help she manages to devise not only an incredibly efficient regimen for herself, but she also gets a few pointers to train her troops back home.

To Collei’s disappointment, Ororon soon departs to get back to his home tribe upon receiving an urgent message from his granny. Evidently the two of them plan to meet up again as soon as the group visits the Masters of the Night Wind.

Meanwhile, Amber and Collei spend the time walking around the Collective of Plenty’s settlement, shopping for new clothes, chatting away and talking about all the subjects they hadn’t had the time to delve into until now. Amber’s Grandpa’s, Collei parents, Amber’s new ambitions for the Outriders, and Collei’s progress in her studies… all subjects they have of course brushed on before, but now that they actually can afford it, they take their time and happily talk the day away.

Diona isn’t as tired after the first day, so she hangs around between the training ground and Varesa’s Orchard. That’s where Itto – Varesa’s new boyfriend – has created a makeshift roaring competition in an attempt to both show off to Varesa, and help her improve her own self-confidence when she does not don her mask. The competition ends up attracting all the children of the settlement, Diona included, as well as a few saurian whelps who happily roar along.

The group spends a few peaceful days only interrupted by the daily eruption of the volcano, as a well earned rest after the first part of their journey. From visiting the Children of Echoes in the Eastern mines, the Scions of the Canopy up on the cliffs, then the People of the Springs by the seaside and now the Collective of Plenty on the foot of a volcano, two major tribes remain before hopefully reaching the Stadium of the Sacred Flame for the music festival.

First, the Masters of the Night-Wind, where Collei had planned to go initially, and where she also now has a very special boyfriend to visit.

And the Flower-Feather clan, the flying tribe that Amber has been dying to visit ever since they planned their journey.

The people of Atocpan are welcoming and their meals wonderful, but it is finally time for the group to depart.

Their extended stay gave Amber enough time to plan for their next destination: the summit of the Tollan volcano!

Chapter Text

“Are you really sure you want to fly down from up there to get to the Masters of the Night-Wind? Wouldn’t running be faster?” Iansan inquires with a frown.

Eula nods, “I am sure. Everyone in our group agreed, and you do not have to worry: we are all accomplished gliders. With Amber to guide us, we will be very safe.”

“Alright, alright. I guess it is goodbye then?”

Eula nods and bows, “I learned much from you, Coach Iansan. I shall be forever grateful.”

The day to say good bye has come, and before departing from the Collective of Plenty the group gives their last greetings. Eula is of course thankful to both Iansan and Shinobu for helping her train all this time.

“You were already talented and sharp to begin with, all I did was give you some pointers,” Iansan replies after Eula gets down on her knee to give her a warm hug.

“I disagree,” Eula says, “But that doesn’t matter. I am thankful nonetheless. Thanks to Miss Kuki as well.”

Shinobu shrugs, “Yeah, no worries. Besides, I’m sure we’ll see each other at the concert in a few days, right Miss Lawrence?”

“Indeed. As long as we do not get sidetracked, we will be there on time for the festivities.”

Amber suddenly appears from behind her girlfriend’s back, “Eula! Are you coming?”

“Oh, Amber!” Eula’s expression mellows out, “Of course. See you around, ladies.”

“Ehehe, bye Iansan, bye Shinobu!” Amber of course forgoes etiquette and gives each of them a quick hug, as she likes to do, before leaving with Eula’s hand in her grasp.

They soon rejoin Collei and Diona who just came from Varesa’s Orchard with a bit more weights in their bags.

“Yeah, she insisted we take a lot of fruits for the trip!” Collei explains as she partially opens her bag to show its content, ”Of course we only took a little to stay light. We can’t get too heavy if we’re going to climb the mountain.”

“Good. She is a sweet lady obviously, we shall remember her hospitality. Did you say your goodbyes already?”

Diona waves her hand in the air, “Yeah! Itto and Varesa said they’ll go to the music festival together, so I hope we see them there, haha!”

“I understand getting close to Varesa, but I’m not sure I appreciate you associating with that Itto fellow so easily. He… irks me somehow,” Eula shudders at the thought.

“Come on Eula, he’s nice! He’s just noisy I guess?” Amber chuckles, seeing her girlfriend restraining herself from belittling Itto, who Diona has come to like quite a lot. Maybe it is because after sharing her intention to rid the world of alcohol, Itto had been extremely supportive contrary to most adults who react with disdain for her ideas. Or it might be for his childlike behavior that attracts all the children in the vicinity to play with him.

In any case the group finally walks away from the settlement lodged under the volcano. Their ascent starts now!

Amber takes point since she is the one who planned the whole trip to the summit. She has changed into a purple two piece set made up of a sleeveless shirt with a zipper in front – already half open due to her body heat – and leggings which she has been told would protect her when climbing.

Right behind her Collei follows suite. She is still wearing the outfit she bought from the Scions of the Canopy, mostly green and breathable since she likes to move around.

Diona is right behind, wearing a tatankasaur set: a little hat with small horns, a purple pair of shorts and a T-shirt with a print of a roaring saurian.

Eula closes the rear with the outfit she has been wearing since the wrestling competition. She particularly likes the ease of movement it provides. Of course it’s not at all because some parts of it show off her skin and muscles that Amber has been gawking at all this time.

After a few minutes of walking through a tunnel dug straight through the mountain, they emerge right next to the start of the trail marked with a very prominent wooden panel. From there a series of wooden poles are dug into the cliff, all linked by a sturdy rope.

“This is it, ladies! Are you ready to climb to the top of the world?!” Amber psychs up her team, and even Eula starts to get excited for the journey ahead.

At first slow, they quickly find their steps on the rocky path slithering up to the heights of Tollan, keeping a hand on the rope to ease their efforts. It takes them a couple of hours to reach the bottom of the cloud cover, and from there the ascent becomes more hazardous. Not only is the visibility greatly reduced, but the path they take becomes much steeper with a mix a walking and climbing required in some parts of the trail. Thankfully the path is pretty well maintained with painted marks at every important turn. The rope continues up into the clouds, guiding the traveler above.

Diona and Collei are the slowest ones, and so the group adopts their pace. Amber patiently opens the path, pointing out where to put their feet or warning them about unstable rocks. Collei right behind is panting from the effort, but thankfully she is otherwise bravely climbing with no complaints. She in turn makes sure Diona right behind her finds her steps, sometimes offering a helpful hand to pull her up when a step is too big for her.

Eula intentionally stays a few paces behind to make sure everyone is moving safely, and to keep an eye out for any unexpected danger. Every so often she talks with Amber through hand signals, so well practiced along the years that they even manage to tell a few jokes during the climb – as well as silently flirting when Diona and Collei are not looking.

They finally take a rest at the foot of a tall, vertical wall. Their next path is straight up, and they will have to actually climb the cliff to get further. Normal mountain climbers at this point would make sure to attach themselves to the rope that is securely attached to the cliff to make their ascent safer. However as Mondstadters – or at least as people used to wind gliders – their way of prepping for safety differs from most other people. They all attach themselves with a single loose rope but with a different order: Eula, Diona, Collei then Amber. Eula is the most experienced mountain climber and she will lead the way up. Collei and Amber both have some degree of experience climbing – although the Forest Ranger prefers trees – and Diona, as a katzlein descendant, does not have any difficulty climbing even the most difficult walls. In the end the rope is mostly to keep the group together, moreso than to prevent falls; indeed, they all know that in a severe emergency they can simply push off the cliff and open their wind glider.

The climb through the foggy clouds is eerie: they move up slowly, taking breaks on the numerous wooden platforms that are obviously placed there by experienced climbers at strategic heights. The fact that the wood and paint look fresh suggests that these have all been added recently, no doubt as an attraction for the tourists. But so far they haven’t seen anyone else on the path to the summit.

Another break on a larger platform allows them to regroup and gather their strength. Diona is recovered from her period exhaustion, but she is still struggling a little. Collei doesn’t say much, as she tries to conserve her strength. They have been climbing for three hour from the foot of the mountain and they are still not seeing the end of the wall above them.

“Come on, girls! We’re almost there!” Amber once again tries to energize her friends, but she knows they are getting tired.

They resume their climb with less and less talking. The only changes they feel as they go up are the temperature rising slowly, the air getting thinner, and their muscles straining from the extended effort.

“Ah!” Collei gasps. She just lifts her face from the wall and looks around, to find her face illuminated by the warm sunlight. Just above her she sees Amber lunge up and reach the top of the cliff! After one last surge of energy, she climbs up, panting on her knees.

“Collei look!”

As Diona and Eula arrive as well, they all stop in their tracks and look around in awe.

They find themselves in the middle of a sea of clouds, billowing and dancing around the mountaintop they finally reached. The sunlight has taken an orange hue, painting the clouds with a warm, orange tone, like an ocean of fiery smoke.

“It’s so beautiful…” Amber says as her eyes widen in delight. Eula silently gets to her side and holds her hand with a tender squeeze.

“It’s like cotton-candy!” Diona giggles.

“Wow…” Collei is at a loss for words. Exhausted, sweating all over, she stands atop the tallest mountain of Natlan – or very close to it, since she sees a few more peaks they could get up to if they so wanted. The place they just reached is actually quite gently sloped, covered with dark green grass that gets as high as her knees. Behind the meadow she sees the gray smoke of the volcano rising in the air.

“Do we want to try and see the crater?” she suggests. They have been told that the sight of the inside of the volcano is incredible, but that they would need to be a bit more careful. There should at least be a place to view it that is relatively safe…

“I can see a flag up there!” Amber says after scanning the area, “Let’s go there, that should be at the very top!”

Eula looks at her group with a frown, “Diona, Collei, what do you think? Do you want to move a bit more? We can take a break if you want.”

She doesn’t need to wait long for both of them to energetically say an emphatic “Let's go!” After all, who would stop so close to the mighty mouth of the Tollan volcano?

“Very well, but Diona: remember to put on your ear plugs. The volcano hasn’t erupted today yet.”

“Okay!”

The members of the small group brace themselves and climb the last few paces up the grassy slope, and it only takes them a few minutes to reach the highest point.

They look around and marvel at the sight. Down below the large crater of the volcano spews abundant waves of lava over its sides, bubbling and spitting like the giant maw of a monster in the middle of digesting a hearty meal. The heat of the half melted rocks radiates all the way over their location, even though they are – supposedly – at a safe distance from it.

An yet what surprises the girls the most is not the mouth of the volcano, which they expected, but the floating islands spiraling up and above it. The crumbles of earth are strangely levitating, carrying old ruins from ancient times, made alive by an immense colony of qucusaurs, which fly around like a swarm above their heads, cackling and chirping like birds.

It takes a moment for Amber to realize her mouth has been gaping the whole time, but as she slowly recovers from the shocking beauty of the summit, an obvious idea lights up in her head.

“Hey, girls, let’s take a group picture!”

A brilliant idea, and everyone scrambles together immediately, all excited at the opportunity to take away a bit of the spectacle with them. Amber sets up the kamera on a rock a bit further away and quickly runs to the middle of her group, between Eula and Collei and right behind Diona who stands proudly with her fists on her waist.

Amber beams as she pulls her friends close, “Ok everyone, on three, say with me: Gebratenes Fleisch mit Vengeance! One, two, three!”

“G-gebrat fish with a vengeance!”

“Hahaha! Wait What?”

“You know this will be added to your list of transgressions, right Amber?”

“Gebratenes Fleisch mit Vengeance! Mwahaha!”

The kamera takes a few automated shots with the small group laughing at the stupid joke.

“Show me, show me!” Diona pulls on Eula’s arm to see the pictures they just took.

“Hmm… This one is good,” Collei says with a frown. “I’ll keep it safe, tell me if you want a copy when we get to a city.”

“Ok, I’ll keep that one then! I like that it has a big flaming rock flying in the distance!” Amber giggles, pointing to something in the background.

Eula frowns, “That doesn’t look like a rock. Isn’t that a qucusaur?”

She lowers her arm under the pressing weight of Diona, who takes the picture and looks closer. “That’s not a qucusaur. That’s not a rock… It’s a person!”

“What?!” The whole group turns around in a panic and looks up, just in time to see a flaming ball in the shape of a person fall down from the sky, bursting into flames as it crashes on the meadow a few paces from them. It spews out a young man with his clothes burned to a crisp, barely clinging to his frame. Incredibly he seems alright despite the dwindling fire on his body.

“Ow… That’s gonna hurt in the morning…” he whimpers.

“Bennett??” Amber shouts, surprised but already rushing to help the young man who could be seriously wounded.

“Amber??” he says dizzily, looking even more surprised than her, “What are you doing here?”

“That’s my question!” she says as she looks at him for wounds.

Collei rushes over and readies her first aid kit, but upon further investigation all he has are bruises and scratches from his fall, no burns at all. His main loss, without a doubt, are his clothes lost to the fire.

“Are you alright young man?” Eula says as she approaches more cautiously while hiding Diona’s eyes with her hands.

“Yeah? I… oh!” Bennett suddenly realizes he is stark naked now, with no trace of any clothes remaining on his frame. He turns around modestly to hide himself. “Uh, sorry about that, I –”

“Benny! Oh no, are you alright??” His shaking apology is interrupted by a loud voice from above.

A sparkling purple birds flies down and lands right next to him, which then explodes to reveal his traveling companion, Fischl, wearing her usual risqué attire.

“Fischl??” Amber shouts in ever increasing surprise.

“...Amber??” Fischl flinches after realizing there are four other people next to her and Bennett. She gawks for a second, but soon enough she coughs and straightens her back, “… Fair day o Travelers from home and afar, what an auspicious day to cross fates with the Prinzessin and her fateful knight! Be well and accept my blessings, brought out from beyond the stars and onto this sacred mountain of flame and power.”

“… What?” Diona’s ears flatten as she takes a step back.

Collei grimaces but stays silent, while Amber smiles and sends urging eye signals to Eula.

Eula sighs and nods, “Well met, Lady Fischl. Why don’t we take care of Mister Bennett first, before getting into your no doubt interesting story?”

Fischl blushes a little, “Oh… Oh right.”

Collei’s expression turns from a cringy grimace to awe, “Wow, Eula you speak Fischlese?”

Fischl ignores the discussions around her and quickly takes out a set of clean clothes out of her backpack. She gives them to Bennett: one undergarment and a pair of shorts. She whispers, “Benny, this is the second set of clothes you’ve ruined today, I don’t have any more!”

“Sorry Amy, I swear I didn’t mean to fall into that pit of boiling lava. How was I supposed to know those big birds would carry me and throw me in there? All I did was try and get some eggs for breakfast,” Bennett mumbles as he finally puts on his shorts. He remains bare chested but is now roughly presentable.

“So? What are you doing here in Natlan?” Amber asks while Collei is helping apply some balm on his wounds.
“..Wait, we’re in Natlan??” both Bennett and Fischl ask simultaneously, equally surprised.
“Well yeah? I thought you were still in Mondstadt!”
“Yeah, that’s the crazy part!” Bennett replies with an awkward look, “See a few days ago we were walking towards Cape Oath with Amy on our regular da – ow!”

Fischl, red in the face, interrupts his recollection with a pinch of his cheeks and takes over, “… My knight was escorting me on our regularly scheduled and absolutely proper and dignified outings to survey the kingdom of the Prinzessin, when a gate to hell suddenly teared the sky apart atop a rising column of chilling winds! An investigation was in order, and we both braved the danger, bracing for monsters to spew out, yet no foe spawned. Then…”

“I tripped on a rock, got caught in the up current and fell into the gate,” Bennett continues with a shrug. “I flew through a weird tunnel, and that’s when I landed on one of those platforms over there.” He points to one of the islands floating above them, “I was confused, but then Fischl arrived after me, and I was really relieved!”

“Ehem!” Fischl, coughs, “The Prinzessin never abandons her faithful subjects, for one’s life and her knight’s are linked through time and space, never to be split apart!”

Eula nods, “Of course, I would also follow if Amber were to be suck in by something like that.” She looks at her girlfriend who sends her a discreet air kiss in respond.

“And that’s how we’ve arrived here, just yesterday,” Bennett says with a thumb up and a bright smile.

“That’s so weird!” Diona laughs, “Why don’t you fly down the mountain?”

Bennett shrugs again, “We would, but without knowing what’s below the clouds it could be dangerous.”

Fischl nods, “Hark! What hides below the sea of destiny? An ocean of fire, a pit of hell, an inferno of darkness? One’s survey of the islands revealed no live terrain, so the escort became stranded, cozy yet unmoving.”

Amber, Collei and Diona look at her with empty eyes, then switch to look at Bennett with a quizzical look.

“Uh? Oh yeah we can’t find a safe way down.”

“What about the path we just came from?” Diona says, showing the last pike of the trail with a piece of rope attached.

“...There’s a trail?” Fischl asks, eyes wide.

“Yeah, just follow the rope and you can get down pretty safely,” Amber says, then she nods, “That was smart of you not to fly down blindly though. This volcano is on an island, so if you were to fly away in most direction you would end up in the sea.”

Bennett stands back up, beaming and already back on his feet, “Great! Then Amy, let’s – uh oh!”

Just as he takes a step to take Fischl’s hand the young adventurer inadvertently trips on the very spike marking the end of the trail and falls off the cliff. His scream during his fall is interrupted by pained cries as he hit each and every rock and asperity on the way down.

“Oh no! Benny! I-I have to go, sorry!” Fischl panics and transforms into her electro bird form before plunging down after Bennett.

The sounds of Bennett’s descent slowly fades, leaving the four girls at the top confused and frozen for a minute.

“...What just happened?” Collei says after a while.

“Dunno, but they are both talented adventurers, so they should be fine, I think?” Amber replies with her eyes still looking down at the fog below.

“Diona, stay away from the edge, I don’t want you to imitate that young man.”

“Yes Eula…”

The unexpected encounter somewhat chilled the group’s enthusiasm for the volcano and fuels their discussions. Ultimately Eula decides she will send a message to the Knights to investigate the mysterious gate on Cape Oath. But soon enough they shrug and get back to the top of the mountain for a real break.

An impromptu lunch at the top of the world.

Chapter Text

“So, about Bennett…” Collei says halfway through her sandwich.

Everyone turns their head towards her in various degrees of completion of their meal. Amber is already attacking an apple as dessert, and Diona is busy nibbling a saurian cracker.

“What is it, Collei?” Eula asks, setting down her bottle of water.

“Don’t you think his, uh, unluckiness is weirdly… convenient?”

Amber chuckles, “The bumps on his head beg to differ!”

“No, no,” Collei shakes her head, “I mean how he never actually gets seriously injured? If I was that unlucky I think I would’ve slipped and fallen down a cliff ages ago.”

“So, it’s not exactly lack of luck?”

“He is not normal, of course, but… what if there was more to it? For example, he and Fischl had been looking for a way out of the crater, right? And then he came crashing down right in front of us, shortly after we arrived. Not only that, but as soon as we told them there was a path there, he just fell exactly in the right direction.”

“A lucky coincidence?” Eula shrugs.

“Hahaha, so he’s lucky now?” Diona giggles, throwing crumbs of biscuit everywhere. “Oh, or maybe he’s got both! A curse from a demon, and a blessing from a fairy who tries to protect him at the same time?”

Amber seems to be thinking seriously about it now, “Then do you think that strange gate they used to come here might not be a weird coincidence? Now that think about it, I did hear that he was found as a baby by an old adventurer in a faraway land. Maybe… You don’t think he could be from Natlan?”

The rest of the meal is silent as the friends finish their fruits and contemplate Bennett’s strange affliction.

Eula finally speaks up again, “Whatever happens I hope dear Fischl can stay safe with him until they come back home, safely if possible. Poor thing could hardly keep up her amusing facade.”

Suddenly, as though to mock the complacent tourists, the ground starts to shake and the lava pool down in the crater begins to boil. Thankfully they already prepared for that eventuality: the marked location they sit on is mostly safe from debris, but that is not enough. Diona creates her usual kitty paw shield around themselves, and Eula summons an ice shard to keep them cool.

Amber shivers. Unbothered by the heat yet very sensitive to changes in temperature, she is thankfully helped by Collei who gives her a sip of her bottle of water.

Above their heads the inflamed sky is raining fire and molten rocks down, digging holes through the sea of white clouds all around. From a milky ocean it turns into a field of ethereal craters, glowing red and fading into black coal. The echoes of the impacts down below barely reach above the rumbling giant maw spewing it’s magma.

The little group huddles, in awe as the daily calamity starts to dwindle. Right before the end, Amber manages to takes a few kamera shots – both of the eruption itself and, discreetly, of the stunned looks on the faces of her friends.

“Wow, that was amazing!” Diona laughs after making her shield disappear. “But it’s too hot now… when are we going?”

Amber’s eyes start to sparkle, “I’m glad you ask! Let’s prep ourselves first, and then we’ll be on the wind! Oh I can’t wait to see Natlan from above!”

The Outrider is the head of the gliding part, of course, and she shows the path she has planned for them to take: North through the clouds and then along the coast all the way up to the Masters of the Night-Winds settlement. Pretty straightforward, but she makes it a point to show a few emergency landing spots along the way in case things go awry. The Collective of Plenty is one such spot, as well a few piers that dotting the coastline.

“What about that big Island to the North?” Diona asks with her finger on the map.

“That’s Ochnaklan… Ochka…lan?” Amber stutters.

“Och-ka-nat-lan,” Collei spells out, face deep in her notes to make sure she doesn’t mispronounce it.

“Right… That’s Och-nat-… That is a dangerous island I have been warned not to get close to. It still has remains of Abyss forces from the war, and the Tribes are still in the process of cleaning up.”

Diona frowns.

“Oh don’t worry it’s way too far for us to even get close to! Worse case scenario we’d land just at its foot, and from there we can reach the Flower-Feather Clan.”

Collei nods along, taking a few more notes of her own.

Soon the group is ready to go. Well fed, hydrated, well rested and equipped, they excitedly make their way to the very top of the Tollan volcano. They send one last glance above at the unreachable islands floating in the air, the last remnants of Natlan’s rich history.

“Get ready for the gliding champion of Mondstadt!” Amber shouts as the first one to take off.

Collei is next, all excited to fly again with her big sister, “And the gliding champion of Sumeru!”

Diona follows with obvious glee in her voice, “I’m flying!”

Eula rolls her eyes at the childish way her companions fly off, but even she can’t help but laugh at the exhilarating experience of flying above the highest mountain of Teyvat.

They float for a while around the volcano to admire the incredible vista, but their altitude brings them closer to the sea of clouds and Amber takes charge in a more serious manner, aiming their path towards the North. She signs for her companions to put their goggles on and move into formation: Amber on point, Diona and Collei as a pair behind her, and Eula to close the rear. They each light up their visions and check with the others that all can be seen. For added security, Amber also provided all of them with a small bone whistle she bought from Saurian hunters at the Scions of the Canopy. Everyone blows into theirs as a test, each with a different pitch, and their whistles echo through the winds like a little melody from Mondstadt.

They dip into the fog, and all of a sudden everything goes gray, except for a faint outline of the sun above, which Amber uses to orient herself. Every few seconds she blows into her whistle, and then Diona, Collei and Eula respond in kind with theirs. She looks back often to check for the visibility of her companions. The white fog becomes thicker, and she can barely make out her girlfriend’s shape all the way behind – but her cryo vision shines bright and clear.

A well oiled formation, which should ensure them safety and comfort for the rest of the descent.

A loud, rumbling roar suddenly shakes the girls to their core. It feels like something is making their whole body vibrate from inside, and the sound is deafening.

To the point where Diona can’t handle it even with her ear plugs in. She whimpers, tries to block her ears, and she starts to flutter away. Eula sees her veering from the group and takes action, locking in on the cat girl and keeping her eyes on her still glowing cryo vision. She takes a look above her where she still sees Collei and Amber’s green and red faint visions disappear through the clouds, maintaining their course. Quickly thinking she blows into her whistle loudly, three times, before getting a response from Amber’s a few seconds later. It doesn’t take long for her to catch up to Diona, who by that time has thankfully gotten a hold of herself. The two of them exchange a glance, then a single whistle blow with a simple universal meaning: “Are you ok?”; “Yes, I’m fine.”

They will have to do the rest of the gliding through the clouds as two separate groups.

Amber and Collei quickly realized they split with Eula and Diona, and the whistles only confirmed their fear.

Without thinking they naturally switch to a close formation, reaching for each other’s hand. Their expertise of flying is not just for bragging: Collei has been diligently training both in Sumeru and every time she went to visit Amber in Mondstadt. If not for her still convalescent health and lack of stamina, she would easily qualify to become an apprentice outrider – if she wasn’t aiming for a more medical path, of course.

Their mastery of gliding and close companionship make flying in very close proximity a simple task for them, holding each other’s hand to make sure they do not get separated again. As one they start to spiral around, whistling and looking through the fog for their lost comrades.

Yet not sign or sound can be heard but the whooshing noises of the wind on their faces and the nothingness of the sea of clouds all around. Collei’s grip is slightly shaky, and Amber gives her a reassuring squeeze. They will be fine: Eula is the Captain of the Reconnaissance Company after all, one of the only people who can – barely – keep up with Amber in the gliding championships.

They will be fine.

And just as they start another round of search, them emerge from the sea of cloud. Far above the surface, the view is incredible. For a moment they look far away in the distance, and see familiar yet minuscule landmarks. The inverted pyramid in the Hypostyle Desert, tomb of King Deshret. The Divine Tree of Sumeru City. Even further away, Amber’s sharp eyes can somehow make out the shape of a floating island, the Jade Chamber of Liyue Harbor. And if she squints her eyes, somehow she recognizes a familiar shape: Dragonspine with it’s pillar floating above, just a speck of dust from this distance. From one highest peak to another, so far away and yet incredibly both visible at the same time. Amber’s mind starts to wander a little, thinking back to Lisa’s geography lesson’s about the apparently flat shape of the world, but she snaps out of her musing when Collei squeezes her hand repeatedly.

Right. They have two people to find!

Yet no matter how far they look they see no one else up there or below.

Where have Eula and Diona gone?

With increasing anxiousness, Amber and Collei decide to aim for their initial landing spot: a little rock formation near the coast, in between the Masters of the Night-Winds and the Flower-Feather Clan’s territories. From up there they should be able to see around, and hopefully get some help if necessary.

Collei is getting antsy. Of course she has experience getting lost or losing someone in the rainforest, and she knows to trust in her partners ability, but so far from home she is not sure how to process her fears. All she can do is trust in Amber’s confident look and demeanor. If Amber is fine, then everything will be fine.

They land on the little piece of rock and take a minute to check themselves. Goggles and whistles out, a sip of water, and they are already walking around to the edge of their observatory to look around. The place is high up, with flags and wooden platforms strategically placed in all cardinal directions: an obvious observation area for the locals. There is also a strangely glowing cluster of obsidian crystals near the cliff, but it’s probably just another sacred monument – nothing special as long as they stay away to avoid disrupting it. As they are used to, both of them take out their bow and fire their elementally charged arrows into the air in lieu of flares. If Eula and Diona see them, they should hopefully reply in kind.

Yet a few minutes pass and nothing happens. They shoot other volleys every minute, but no response.

Amber sighs and crosses her arms, deep in thought. Then she calls her nervous little sister over, “Collei, come here let’s devise a plan. The Flower-Feather Clan is nearby, and they are known to be great at flying and scouting. We should go and ask for their help. If I go, you can stay here and keep looking for signs of Eula and Diona. What do you think?”

Collei becomes more anxious. If Amber goes, she will be left alone, separated from everyone else.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be quick: I’ve memorized the way the their settlement. Should only be a few minutes.”

Collei takes a big breath and nods, “Ok. But be careful, Amber!” she gives her sister a quick hug and clenches her fists after taking a step back.

“Haha no worries, I’m the best Outrider there is, remember!” Amber laughs, yet she is unable to hide the anxiety in her own voice. “Don’t worry, just stay near that monum–”

Amber mindlessly slaps her hand on the obsidian totem and a blinding light shouts out of it.

Collei gasps and falls on the ground, blinded and surprised. But when she opens her eyes again…

Amber is no longer here.

Chapter Text

Eula and Diona stay close, flying through the white fog and keeping their heading going North by using the pale sun, the only thing still piercing through the blinding clouds.

The sudden separation from Amber and Collei upset Eula greatly, but she knows to trust their gliding experience. Right now her priority is to stay with Diona and ensure they land safely.

The flight feels weird, like they’ve been flying for hours. Was the sea of cloud really that thick? Or did they get lost in strange disorientating current? Just as Eula begins to wonder if they should try and stay in the same location or even go back, they finally emerge over a fascinating and surprising sight.

Just below them stands a sprawling mountain that looks like an ashen spider came to rest in the middle of the sea a millennium ago. A petrified city resides in its entrails, gray and uninhabited.

The Cinder City, Ochkanatlan.

Diona seems fine at least; she is alert, looking around and pointing at a few things of interest: the Qucusaur nests on the cliffs, the giant ruins similar yet more ominous than the ones on top of the Tollan volcano. But more importantly, there is no trace of Amber and Collei. Looking back, they can see the volcano they took off from in the distance. Way too far, actually. Eula comes to the obvious conclusion that they overshot their target by a wide margin.

With a few signals, she instructs Diona to turn around and they start to move back South, away from this dangerous location.

Just as they are about to fly away, something fast approaches. A fiery arrow, aimed straight at Eula. With a decisive contortion in the air she avoids the projectile, but one of her wings gets shattered by the impact. She tumbles down, barely floating with half her glider. Diona reacts quickly and immediately plunges to help support Eula and guide her to a place to land on the top of the cliffs.

But just as they are about to touch ground, another volley of arrows shoot out, once again aimed at Eula. Unbalanced, she kicks Diona to the side, takes out her Claymore and tanks the hits. Despite stopping the attack, she slips on the side of the cliff and falls.

“Eula!” Diona cries, but she is already gone.

“Hmph!” Grabbing desperately at anything she can, Eula slides down the cliff, half-falling, half-braking her descent, until she comes to rest on a small, brittle ledge. She catches a breath and looks back up: hopefully Diona is safe up there.

A blueish white trail passes right above her head, disappearing towards the South.

Diona’s cryo arrow?

Is she in danger?

Eula grits her teeth and frantically climbs back up the rocky wall. The adrenaline makes it way easier that it should be, and it only takes her a couple of minutes to find herself back to where she left Diona. She lifts her head, out of breath, and freezes in place.

A tall woman, dressed all in gray and red, stands menacingly a few paces from her. With ashen hair and blood-red eyes, she holds Diona by the scruff of her neck like a kitten at the end of her arm. The little cat girl thankfully seems unharmed, and she energetically hisses and swipes her paws around, unable to connect.

The woman chuckles, “Feisty, aren’t you? Don’t worry, I tamed other kitties like you before.”

Eula’s blood thaws and she takes out her Claymore in a hurry, “Unhand Diona, you wench!” she screams as she readies her stance.

Arlecchino slowly turns her head around, as though she’d heard an annoying insect buzzing behind her. But when she finally sets her eyes on Eula, from uninterested her expression turns into one of disdain.

“Would you look at that,” she seethes, glaring at Eula’s hairpiece, “This is the Lawrence’s sigil, I believe? What is an aristocrat from Mondstadt doing all the way out here, to the end of the world?”

The two ladies eye each other for a while, until the tension gets broken by another person appearing behind Arlecchino.

“Father? Who is that? I thought I shot down an Abyssal creature, was I mistaken?”

“Ah, Lyney… good timing. It turns out our guest over here is indeed no Abyss monster. However, she is an aristocrat.”

Lyney’s face morphs into a frown. His history with nobles no doubt resurfaces, as he remembers when he and Lynette were saved from some aristocrat’s abuse by their Father, and his hatred for them starts to cloud his eyes. However, he quickly reassesses the situation. “And that little cat girl is…?”

“A lost kitten,” Arlecchino says with a smirk.

“Diona is my responsibility! How dare you kidnap her!”

“Oh, I am doing no such things. All I intend is to protect her from some… suspiciously possessive noblewoman.”

Eula grits her teeth. The reputation of Mondstadt’s aristocrats once again comes back to bite her.

“Father, are you sure about this?” Lyney asks.

Father… Eula hears that name again. Was she not a woman, after all? She coughs, “Ehem. Again, unhand Diona, you wencher!”

“Yeah, you tell her, Eula!” Diona shouts, still struggling aimlessly in Arlecchino’s hand.

“Hmph,” the tall red lady start to ponder aloud, “You do seem a bit different from those old crusty aristocrats from Mondstadt. None of them would be perceptive enough to change the way they address me… even it you are still quite insulting, of course.”

With barely any tact she throws the little girl to the side and into the arms of Lyney. Diona continues to panic and wriggles around, but after a few seconds she slows down, strangely soothed by a few strokes on her head.

“Wha- how do you know how to…?”

“So you do have the same weaknesses as Lynette. Maybe we share some kind of ancestry? Do not worry little girl, I won’t harm you. Just sit tight and enjoy the show.”

Diona starts to melt into Lyney’s arms, the lack of hostility coupled with the relaxing petting make her defenses fade.

Eula keeps her eyes on Diona, wary but relieved that she seems to be at least out of the hands of the dangerous woman in front of her. Without a doubt, she is a force to formidable opponent, with an indescribable aura and confidence that most people would crumble in front of.

“There, I unhanded her. Happy now?”

“Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“That… is none of your business. Although, for the sake of avoiding needless friction, I shall give you some answers. Whether you think they are accurate is entirely up to you.”

Eula lowers her sword slightly, feeling the tension shifting.

“You may call me Arlecchino, I am a diplomat from Snezhnaya. I’ve come here to… pay respect to an old friend.” Her eyes furtively look to the side, only for a split second. In that direction Eula can see an enormous cluster of crystals, eternal ice shards piercing the sky over what looks like a throne dug into the cliff.

“Very well then. My name is Eula Lawrence. I am a Captain from the Knights of Favonius. I am here on vacation with a few of my friends.”

“You do have the manners of an aristocrat, but you seem too… flexible. A knight you say? A contradicting combination.”

“My goal is to clear my family’s name and put its horrible history to rest.”

The air starts to feel hot. Eula feels a warm chill running down her spine as Arlecchino locks her eyes on her, like a spider eyeing a potential prey.

“Are you, now? Such ambition… but you could very well be all talk. That’s what you are good at, yes? Wriggling your tongue around and getting others to do your bidding, wielding power you never earned. Maybe… maybe this little girl is your servant. Maybe worse. How do I know you haven’t kidnapped her? Nothing new for a noble, right?”

The sudden allegations make Eula’s calm attitude disappear, replaced by a rising rage.

“How dare you? You were the one who shot me down, you are the ones keeping Diona hostage!”

“Hmph! Hmph!” Diona tries to supports Eula, but she is gagged by Lyney’s hand.

“Shhh, calm down little kitty. Everything is going to be fine, you’ll see.”

The situation seems to spiral out of control. Eula readies her stance once more, as Arlecchino slowly walks towards her. With an elegant twitch of her wrist she summons her own weapon, a giant red blood staff which she twirls in front of her, as a way to test her arm and to threaten her adversary.

“Show me that you are not all talk, Lawrence.” Her voice is deeper than before, as though her throat has dried out from the heat she emanates.

The air starts to shake around as both ice and fire emanate from the two fighters.

Yet another fight for Eula… but this time she is not playing around. Her vision lights up and a thin layer of ice appears on the surface of her claymore. Her body slightly glints from covering herself with a protective cryo aura.

As though to respond to her, Arlecchino raises her staff and a disturbing blood streak sprouts from its end. With a single slash the blood coagulates into an ominous blade at the end of the staff, which has become a deadly scythe. Its owner smirks and slowly walks towards Eula, her weapon scrapping the ground at her side.

CLANK

Eula’s first slash is swift, a forward hit with nearly no wind up. Arlecchino parries the attack with the end of her staff and spins her blade in response towards Eula’s neck. With minimum movement Eula raises her hilt and captures the end of the scythe, stopping the blade just in front of her throat.

But Arlecchino’s smirk hints at something else. All of a sudden the scythe’s blades shakes and starts to expand with a creepy sound. Eula quickly backs off, not ready to lose her head just yet.

Immediately Eula retaliates with a large horizontal slash, which Arlecchino avoids with a simple back-step…

“Eye for an eye!” Eula whispers, as the ice on her weapon extends and creates an icy afterimage, way larger that her blade.

“Hmph!” Her opponent grits her teeth, and forcefully shatters the cryo attack with a quick hit from her own pyro infused scythe.

The two opponents take a step back to gauge each other. Both of them come to the same conclusion: this fight will require a bit more than mere elemental powers.

Eula straightens up and raises the palm of her hand in the air, “Vengeance will be mine,” she whispers with a glacial voice. A bright frozen sigil appears above her open hand, pulsating with enormous elemental energy, freezing the ground and the air all around her.

Seeing her opponent getting serious, Arlecchino scoffs and raises her own hand in front of her. This might be overkill, but she needs to show that Lawrence woman what she is up against. She joins her thumb and middle finger, ready to snap her fingers…

BOOM

A gust of wind suddenly engulfs both fighters, momentarily swirling away the accumulated cryo and pyro energies. Surprised, they both look towards the origin of the anemo explosion. High up above them, standing on what looks like a giant cannon levitating in the air, a woman with sky-blue eyes and a cowboy hat stares down upon them with her arms crossed.

“Nobody moves,” she shouts. “I heard there were people stranded over here, but I wasn’t expecting a duel right in front of the Throne of a Hero of Natlan.”

Chasca swiftly flies down and lands right between the two fighters, still stuck in their fighting stance.

“You don’t look like you’re from around these parts,” she starts, “And I can see some children over there that are absolutely not in the right place.” She tilts her head towards Lyney and Diona who are docilely sitting as though they were just watching a normal fight.

“Lower. Your. Weapons,” Chasca hisses.

Eula and Arlecchino squint, gauging their opponent’s reaction, but slowly they relax their arms and make their elemental energies fade.

“Good. Now, who among you are named…” she checks a piece of paper that looks strangely familiar, “…Eula and Diona?”

“That’s me, and the little cat girl over there.”

“Great. Your friend sent me over.”

Now that the fight seems officially over, Lyney doesn’t prevent Diona from running back towards Eula, happy to hear some news of the other members of their group.

“Wait,” Eula frowns, “Friend, singular? We have two other friends, Amber and Collei.”

“Oh. Sorry, I forgot that part. Collei is the girl with green hair, right? She’s the one that called for us, the Air Patrol. As for the other gal you’re talking about… it’s a bit complicated at the moment.”

Eula’s blood freeze in her veins, “What? What do you mean?!” she shouts.

Arlecchino, who took a step back, does not miss the change in tone of Eula when it comes to that Amber. This Eula Lawrence may be more interesting than she appears.

Chasca scratches her head, “Listen it’s not easy to say if she’s safe or not. All I know is that she accidentally touched a Night Kingdom Totem, which is used by fighters to test their strength in the Night Kingdom. And the opponent this totem links to is a dreadful creature. We call it: ‘He Never Dies’.”

“What??” Both Eula and Diona react the same.

Of course both of them immediately press Chasca to guide them back down to where their friends are, but Chasca has to slow them down: Ochkanatlan is still a very dangerous place to traverse. Since Eula’s wind glider has been ruined, Chasca proposes to bring both Diona and her on her giant gun, Ritual Staff. They quickly agree and prepare for the descent.

But Lyney steps up to Diona and give her a quick hug before she can mount the gun, “Father, can’t we keep her?” His best pleading cat eyes almost make his Father falter.

“No!” Both Eula and Arlecchino reply in unison, for different reasons. They both glare at each other before turning away with a comically similar hmph.

“Hahaha, alright, alright, that was just a joke! Say Diona, are you going to the festival too? I really want you to meet my sister. I’m sure you’ll like her.”

“Hm… Ok. Are you staying here?” Diona frowns, the whole island seems to be a death trap, not an ideal place for a vacation.

“Yes, Father will not let me join the others before my training is complete. But I am getting the hang of hunting Abyssal creatures now. Which reminds me,” he turns his attention to Eula, who is starting to get impatient, “I am sorry for attacking you, Miss Lawrence. This was an honest mistake.” Lyney bows his head, with his hat on his chest.

“Hmph. I will let this slide since I’m in a hurry. But I shall mark this affront on my list.” Eula cannot help but accept Lyney’s apology as he appear truly contrite. But her mind quickly comes back to her main preoccupation. “Miss Chasca, can we go?”

“Right. Hold on to your hats!” Chasca takes off with her two passengers secured and they fly away in the direction of the Flower-Feather Clan.

“So, Father,” Lyney says after the others disappear, “If it wasn’t an Abyssal monster who roared like that a few minutes ago… then what was it?”

Arlecchino stays silent for a moment.

“Another threat to Natlan, no doubt,” she finally murmurs. “But I have no doubt now that this is related to why the Pyro Archon called us all at this time.”

“Hm?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Come on Lyney, I believe we have spent too much time up here. Your training is satisfactory, and I’m sure Thrain appreciated the bouquet you all made for him.”

Lyney’s face brightens at the news, “Great, I can’t wait to get back to Lynette and Freminet!”

The two of them start their descent on foot, easily dispatching Abyssal monsters along the way as they make their way down at a leisurely pace.

Chapter Text

“Amber?” Collei asks, looking all around the obsidian monument. It has stopped shining after the bright flash of light blinded her. “Amber, it’s not funny, where are you?”

But try as she may, there is no longer any trace of her dearest friend.

Collei is alone.

But not for long, thankfully. Before she actually starts panicking the sound of a whistle flies over her head. She looks up, hopeful to find Eula or Diona floating down, but she soon realizes than none of their own whistles sounded like that one. Indeed, the sound she just heard comes from a whole group of four Qucusaur-riding Natlanese people led by a very eye-catching lady riding not a flying saurian, but a giant… gun?

“Howdy little lady, are you the one who sent those signals?” Chasca asks immediately after landing, tipping her hat as a quick greeting. “None of them match any of our own…” She quickly scans Collei’s appearance and nods, “… which makes sense for an Outlander.”

Collei straightens up and gives a weak salute out of habit, “Oh yes, I-I’m Collei, a Forest Ranger from Sumeru! I guess it makes sense that our signals are different from yours. Oh, b-but since my companions are from Mondstadt we agreed to use their style.”

Finally Collei takes a deep breath and, remembering Tighnari’s lessons about proper communication in times of emergency, methodically explains what happened, noting down all her points in her notepad as she goes. How her group of four glided down from the top of the Tollan volcano, got separated in the clouds because of a deafening roar, and how, after landing here and sending their signals in the air, Amber disappeared after touching the obsidian monument.

“And I was wondering how you ended up here, given that this area is off limits for outlanders,” Chasca nods. “Now it makes sense. Let’s get someone from the Masters of the Night-Wind to help with the monument. You, go fetch Granny Itztli or any shaman available.” She lifts her chin to one of her comrades who nods and prepares to depart on his qucusaur.

Collei frowns at the familiar name. “Isn’t that… Ororon’s grandma?”

Chasca tilts her head, “You know Ororon, but not Granny Itztli herself?”

“Yeah! He’s a-a friend of mine.”

“A friend, uh.” Chasca’s piercing eyes make Collei look down and blush for an instant, but she doesn’t linger. “Ok guys: try to get Ororon with Granny Itztli if he’s nearby, he could be helpful.”

The member of her squad she designated immediately flies off in the direction of the Masters of the Night-Wind’s settlement.

“Let’s see now,” Chasca then turns her attention towards the sky. A thin aura envelops her body and slowly converge on her eyes. “I can see the wind currents are unusually chaotic up there. No wonder you got separated. And if I follow the most likely path based on what you told me…” her head slowly turns in the direction of the North.

Before she can say the name “Ochkanatlan,” a thin but bright white line emerges from near the top of the Island’s Peak.

Collei gasps,“It’s Diona’s arrow, I think! They’re up there!”

“As expected. What does that signal mean?”

Collei shakes her head, “I’m not sure, this is not how Mondstadt signals are supposed to be shot. For better visibility, they should be shot at a 45 degree angle. See how the trajectory started almost horizontally? That’s why I don’t think it’s an actual signal.” Her expression turns sour, “I think Diona is in danger!”

“Alright don’t worry kiddo I got this. Oh and thanks for the note, that’ll come in handy. Giddy up!” Chasca pulls the reins on her giant gun and flies off at an incredible speed towards the Cinder City.

A couple of flying rangers remain with Collei near the monument where Amber disappeared, keeping her company while they wait for the reinforcements. To keep her from worrying too much and keep her occupied, they awkwardly describe to her the major landmarks they can see from up here: to the East the Flower-Feather Clan stands out as a settlement built from a local peak and maintained in the air by numerous floating balloons. To the South-East, the strangely colored fumes emanating from the Masters of the Night-Wind buildings which barely peek out from the deep valley. Both destinations that Collei was eager to visit, but that is the least of her worries right now. She is just thankful the Flower Feather men seem genuinely concerned with making her feel at ease.

Just as most subjects of small talk dry up, something flies out from the East. A purple, shiny trail that looks like a… bat?

“Collei! Are you alright?!” It’s Ororon! Who comes running at her after landing precipitously. He’s out of breath, but his gentle hug soothes Collei’s anxiety somehow.

“Ororon, I… Amber is stuck in here! Do you know how to help her?”

“Don’t worry, I brought Granny with me,” After checking Collei is alright, he points his thumb behind his back, and another person appears from the same direction, albeit more slowly.

This time a small woman wrapped in a pinkish aura and riding a strange pillow lands in the same way.

“O… Ororon! You rascal, how could you run away so fast like that?!” After dismounting her cushion, Citlali stomps angrily towards her grandson. But when her eyes land on Collei, from angry she turns wary and suspicious. “Oh, so that’s you! The one who –”

“Granny, can we talk about that later?” Ororon interrupts her with little ceremony. Such bravado would usually make her lash out at his disrespect, but she can see the serious look in his eyes. She is often very bad at reading the room, but even her is not so daft as to recognize the seriousness of the situation. “Uh… Ehem, fine, let’s sort this out first.”

This is Ororon grandma? Collei is slightly surprised by her youthful appearance, but she quickly bows and salutes Citlali, somehow even more nervous than before, “H-Hello Ma’am! My name is Collei, I’m a Forest Ranger from Sumeru! Nice to meet you!”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s skip the pleasantries for later,” Citlali pats Collei on the head absentmindedly and walks towards the obsidian monument.

The way she dresses, the way she talks, the way she moves… Collei cannot decide if Ororon’s granny is someone old who appears young, or someone young who acts old. She is quite used to the former with her self-proclaimed and doting Grandmother, Madam Faruzan, and that’s why she instinctively behaves similarly with Citlali. At the very least she tries to appear proper to Ororon’s parental figure. If their relationship progresses as she hopes, it wouldn’t hurt to make a good first impression!

“Hmm… Yep, she’s stuck in the Night-Kingdom alright. Tell me Miss Collei, does your friend have a vision?”

“Yeah, a pyro vision. She’s from Mondstadt, if that makes a difference.”

“Mondstadt? Hmm… Yeah, I do feel some anemo power, but there’s also a bit of geo mixed in as well? Ah, no matter, people come and go nowadays. Listen: the good news is that she is still alive somehow, the bad news is that she is locked in the Night Kingdom until her challenge is over, one way or another. As for how she was able to get in…”

Citlali looks around and frowns. “Hey, you!” She points at one of the Flower-Feather patrolmen, who stands at attention.

“Y-Yes, Ma’am?”

“Why is there no barrier or warning signs around this monument? Don’t you know it’s very dangerous for untrained outsiders to go near it?”

“Uh, sorry Ma’am! We did cordon off the whole plateau, but… but these outlanders didn’t know since they landed from the air!”

“That’s not a good excuse. Coming from sky riding folks, that’s a clear oversight.”

“Yes, Ma’am! Sorry Ma’am!”

The poor Qucusaur rider shakes in his boot, and even his mount trembles and hides behind him, all intimidated by Granna Itztli’s wrath.

Citlali sighs, “Ok that’s enough venting for now, let’s focus. Miss Collei, give me your hand. I will try to communicate with your friend and tell her how to retreat from the fight. That’s the only way she’d get out safe and sound.”

“Yes!” Collei sneaks a glance at Ororon who nods encouragingly. Discreetly he takes Collei’s hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, while she gives her other hand to Citlali.

Collei starts to pray silently to the gods – although she’s unsure if she should pray to Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Archon of her homeland; Lord Barbatos, Amber’s home’s deity; or even the Pyro Archon, the local goddess and guarantor of Amber’s vision. Just to be sure, she quickly makes a silent request to all three.

Citlali pauses for a few moments upon touching Collei’s hand. “You… Are you…” But she quickly dismisses her train of thought for now, shaking her head. “Okay Miss Collei, listen well, I need you to think about your friend so that I can link your souls and allow you to communicate. Ready?”

“Yes!”

Collei squints her eyes tight. Amber… The annoying, happy-go-lucky Outrider who saved her life years ago. The one who made her regain her will to live, and brought her back from the depths of despair. This time, she would be the one to save her, without fail.

The obsidian monument which shine had disappeared, starts to shake and glint mysteriously, before flashing bright and blinding everyone around it once again.

“Agh!”

After a few seconds Collei slowly reopens her eyes.

Right in front of her stands her savior, her friend, her dear sister. Amber looks safe and sound, standing in a fighting stand with her bow at the ready and frantically looking around.

“Amber!” Collei throws herself into her sister’s arms, knocking her down on the ground from the inertia of her sudden rush.

“Oof! Oh, Collei? What are you doing here? Uh? Wait, where’d the capybara go??”

She looks around with alert eyes, but soon realizes where she is.

“Wait I’m back? What happened?”

“Amber, you scared me so much! How could you disappear like that! Don’t ever do that again!”

“Uh? O-Okay?”

Collei’s brave facade finally breaks down, and she melts into Amber’s arms, tears running on her cheeks like a dam just broke. Amber sighs and smiles, returning her little sister’s hug with one hand on her shaky back.

A few paces away, Ororon discreetly whispers to Citlali’s ear, “I’m impressed Granny, I thought it’d take an hour at least to contact her friend given her lack of Nightsoul’s blessing. I already knew about it, but it’s no wonder everyone calls you a genius.”

But Citlali seems to be lost in thought.

“Granny? Hellooo? Teyvat to Granny Itztli?”

Ororon waves his hand in front of her eyes, and she finally flinches and responds.

“Sorry Ororon, I was just… surprised.”

“Hm? Why?”

“I did not have time to complete the spell.”

“Oh…” Ororon takes a few second to understand what she means. “Oh.”

“That’s right. That girl, who doesn’t even have a Nightsoul’s blessing, somehow managed to best the Dragon Defier: ‘He Never Dies’.”

Before Ororon can even respond, a new party finally arrives.

“Amber! Collei!” Eula and Diona jump down precariously from Chasca’s mount, and they rush to hug both girls.

“Eula?! Diona! I’m so glad you’re safe!” Amber laughs, so happy to have all her friends – and her future wife – all safe and sound after the lively trip down the volcano.

But when Eula tries to pull her back on her feet she whimpers.

“Amber? What is it?” Eula asks with worry in her voice.

The Outrider, who seemed to be fine until now, grabs her wrist and winces.

“Sorry, I think I hurt myself… But how could I know the cute capybara was so naughty? I just wanted to pet it, and it just slapped my hand away! I had to teach it a lesson after that, of course.”

“A what? Amber, you will have to explain what happened in there. In great details.” Eula’s expression shows Amber that she really means it, “But first, let’s get you treated.”

Chasca, Citlali and Ororon grimace at the realization.

In all the years they’d seen people challenge the creatures of the Night-Kingdom, it’s the first time they meet someone dumb enough to try and pet that most dangerous creature. And most surprisingly, to go into the fight with no preparations and only getting out with a broken wrist… is it a miracle, or an incredible feat? It’s not that that particular challenge is hard per se, since a lot of warriors from Natlan do come battle with the beast regularly. But it’s the first time they see an outlander walk out victorious. The first time since Tumaini, of course, but the Hero of Natlan is a different story.

They look at Amber’s happy yet pained expression with Eula admonishing her, Collei hurrying to get her first aid kit, and Diona hugging Amber’s leg to make her stay put while she gets treated. Whatever it is, those outlanders are not a party worth ignoring. Citlali nods approvingly: the Pyro Archon’s plan might go more easily than expected.

“I’ve stabilized your wrist, but you need to see a doctor to make sure it heals right, Amber.” Collei finishes putting the Outrider’s arm in a splint and a sling.

Ororon nudges his granny with his elbow. With a roll of her eyes, Citlali steps forward.

“Come with me to the Masters of the Night-Wind, we’ve got the best healers in Natlan there. My grandson will make sure you’ll get proper accommodations, right?”

“Yes, granny.”

Amber mumbles, “Come on, it’s just a sprain…” But she is quickly shut down by Eula’s icy stare.

“Thank you, Madam Itztli, we shall take you up on the offer.” And to make sure her girlfriend doesn’t make it any more difficult she lifts her up in her arms to carry her bride style. Amber shuts up very quickly and nuzzles happily in Eula’s arms.

After witnessing the couple’s cute antics, Ororon steps forward towards Collei with his arms open in front of him and puppy eyes.

“Wh-What?” she takes a step back.

“Do you also want a ride?” his hopeful eyes are difficult to resist.

“I-” She hesitates. She is tired after the eventful descent – not to forget the long climb up the slopes of the volcano earlier in the day. And, yes, Ororon’s arms do look inviting. Not to mention his cute expression and his fluffy ears which might get in reach if she accepts. However… Blood rushes to her face when she realizes other people will see her in such an embarrassing position. How can Amber be so carefree? “N-Not now, sorry, I can still walk!”

She feels almost bad when Ororon drops his head down and his cute ears flatten on his dark hair. Instead she takes his hand and asks him to guide them, which is enough to make the man smile back. She is not ready for Amber-levels of embarrassment, but hand holding should be fine.

Everyone is ready to depart now!

Chasca whistles, “Okay people, we’ll take it easy and bring a transport balloon for our guests. I understand you Mondstadters like to glide everywhere, but you need to take easy with a wounded person. Besides, y’all look tired.”

Citlali nods and prepares to float back down in advance, but she feels a tug on her skirt. She looks down and sees a little cat girl looking up with hopeful eyes.

“Hey, granny, can I ride on your pillow??” Diona asks hopefully, with her usual kitty pleading eyes.

The cuteness overload breaks Citlali’s will immediately. With barely any resistance she scoops up Diona and lets her sit in front of her.

Now everyone is really ready to depart!

After the transport balloon arrives, the Air Patrol flies away and the rest of the group floats down in the chasm dug through the Tezcatepetonco Range.

They had a few bumps on the way down, but our tourists have finally arrived at the next stop of their journey: the Masters of the Night-Wind!

Chapter Text

As they float slowly towards the middle of the valley, the travelers are met with a striking sight: high up on graffiti-stricken columns of rocks stand a myriad of buildings, each with a large gilded chimney spewing colorful fumes towards the sky. All are linked by suspended wooden bridges, like a spider web of paths. Many people, tourists and locals, are walking around, stopping and pointing at the descending air balloon and its occupants.

“Look, that building is huge!” In front of Citlali on her flying pillow, Diona points excitedly at the main construction towering high over the rest, surrounded by a crowd of curious people. On the way down, Citlali describes the layout of the settlement to the tired but still excited group.

They finally land and are quickly guided towards the infirmary area for a quick check up.

“It’s not broken, but you need a light cast to keep it still for a few days.”

The doctor’s verdict is clear. It is met with relief from Eula, Collei, and Diona. Amber, however, starts to complain.

“I told you it was nothing, now I’m stuck with this,” she mumbles, gesturing at her wrapped hand.

Eula rolls her eyes and takes Amber’s uninjured hand in hers, “Amber, you need to take a rest. You don’t want to make me worried, surely?”

Amber continues to pout.

“Come on Amber,” Collei interjects, “It’s the perfect opportunity to have Eula pamper you for a few days.”

Amber’s rabbit-like bow perks up, and she turns to her girlfriend with sparkles in her eyes. Eula opens her mouth to retort… but, overwhelmed by her cute partner’s reaction, crosses her arms and hmphs ostensibly. “Very well. I suppose I have no choice but to make sure you don’t injure yourself further.”

Collei and Amber wink at each other behind Eula’s back with a complicit smile.

“Now that this is settled, let’s get –”

“Hold on a minute Eula!” Amber raises her voice, prompting her girlfriend to turn around in surprise. “You thought I wouldn’t notice?”

This time it’s Eula’s turn to become flustered.

“You thought I didn’t see those new scratches on your arms and neck?”

“How did you –”

“Eula, did you have a fight up there? Those are not just bruises from a fall or from a beast.”

The conversation takes a more serious turn now, thanks to Amber’s sharp eyes. Eula looks around with apprehension at her friends. She didn’t want to explain all the troubles they met with that Snezhnayan diplomat, at least not so freshly. But after seeing all their worried stares, she ends up spilling the beans and explains – with a few discrete omissions – the unfortunate incident that occurred near the top of Ochkanatlan.

“I’m going to kill her.”

“No, Amber.”

“She attacked you out of nowhere! You could’ve been hurt real bad!” Amber has become agitated, and uncharacteristically angry.

“It was a misunderstanding,” Eula says, “Well… mostly.” Even she is not very convinced by what she says, for Arlecchino has indeed been added to her list. “In any case, as the person who got slighted, it is my responsibility.”

“Hmph… if she ever gets close to you, then… then vengeance will be mine!” Amber using her own catchphrase takes Eula by surprise, but she cannot hide a smile at her adorable girlfriend’s anger.

“Yeah, yeah!” Diona is happily fanning the flames, but soon her cheers are drowned by a very loud noise coming from her own stomach.

Collei gasps, “Oh, you must be starving Diona! Let’s find a place to eat.”

Eula nods, “We also need to check in with the Chief and take care of our accommodation.”

“Hey grannies, how about crashing at Granny Itztli’s home?” Ororon just arrives in the infirmary and injects himself in the conversation.

“Ororon!” Collei waves at him happily, but when her eyes cross Citlali’s right behind him, she slowly lowers her hand. From the start Citlali had been cordial, but after the emergency passed, she had turned somewhat cold towards Collei.

“He insisted since apparently you’ve become acquainted,” the older woman says, “Of course I should extend my hospitality to my grandson’s friends.”

“We are most grateful then, Madam Itzli,” Eula bows politely.

The group finds a place to eat a quick dinner before going on their way. With the tired tourists in tow, Citlali walks towards her own home which is a bit isolated from the rest of the settlement. On the way the people they meet have two distinct reactions to seeing Granny Itztli: the locals take a wide berth, and the children even hide behind their parents, scared by all the stories they have been told about the scary and severe shaman. But the visitors and guests on the contrary look ar her with curiosity, though still with a bit of distance.

Out of the most populated area, the path weaves around high columns of basalt and qucusaur flocks. Amber can’t help but be attracted by the dangerous but majestic birds, but of course Eula promptly pulls her away. The night is falling, and it is time for them to find shelter.

Citlali’s home is burrowed into a deep cave and her large, circular door appears sturdy and impenetrable. Yet a simple flick of the wrist is enough for her to split it open, no doubt a well designed charm that allows her to control the door at any time.

“Come in,” she says as the lanterns inside light up one after the other. The place is quite roomy with a large main area split into different sections: a kitchen and dining area, a study and a craft table, to name a few. And of course a huge library with shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling, full of books and parchments. The reading area underneath is full of comfy pillows with a few open books on them. Even the walls are decorated with beautifully weaved scrolls, colorful and vibrant.

“The bathroom is here,” she points at a door by the side of the room, “and that is my bedroom. Entry is prohibited, understood?”

“Y-Yes ma’am!” Collei stands at attention, still stiff and nervous in front of the shaman.

Despite the coziness and clear taste of the place, there is however one guest who is not thrilled at all to be here.

“Ew!” Diona grimaces as soon as she enters. If the strong smell of alcohol wasn’t enough of a clue when they entered the abode, the numerous bottles littered on the ground make a clear picture of the situation. The cat girl shakes her head in disdain, “Nu-uh! I’m not sleeping here! It stinks just like home after Dad drank too much! I hate it!”

Ororon sighs, “Really Granny?”

“What?” Citlali replies like nothing is wrong, with a newly opened bottle in her hand already. “I need this,” she says as she takes a long gulp. “I’m sure our guests have refined – hic – refined taste.” As soon as she got home it’s like she suddenly relaxed and let herself go with the flow. “Make yourselves at home! I’ve got enough mats and blankets for everyone.”

Eula and Amber look at each other. Of course they appreciate the hospitality, and to be honest a taste of local brew wouldn’t be a bad idea. But they have two children with them to take care of, with Collei still barely of age. Uneasiness spreads through the house, with Citlali none the wiser as she clumsily gathers the empty bottles – she does realize her guests wouldn’t appreciate her usual littering after all.

Even Ororon looks slightly embarrassed. “I’m sorry everyone, she isn’t usually like this. It’s just that today is…”

“Shut up Ororon! That isn’t something for you to divulge! She l-left me all alone, and h-how am I supposed to handle this?” Citlali appears already pretty far gone, with her bottle half empty already.

“Wh-who is she talking about?” Collei whispers to Ororon.

“Huitzilin, he whispers back, “A renowned shaman on par with Granny Itztli, and from the same generation. And if you haven’t realized, she’s Granny’s –”

“– Archrival!” Citlali cuts her grandson with a sudden shout and a voice full of lament. “She… how could she leave me like that? Hic…”

“I’m not. Staying. Here.” Diona turns her back to the rest with her arms crossed, ready to pass the door and get out.

“Um, what can we do?” Collei looks around from Amber and Eula, to Ororon who seems to be thinking.

Finally after an awkward moment of silence, the only man in the room raises his voice.

“How about this? We can have a slumber party at my own house, and leave the ‘grown’ here to their… libation.”

Diona’s ears perk up, clearly interested. Collei also reacts positively, looking back with pleading eyes towards her guardians. After a silent deliberation, Eula and Amber agree: everyone present should be happy that way, surely?

The younger people quickly prepare to depart, hoping to arrive at Ororon’s home before the night has completely fallen. Citlali quickly mumbles an enchantment which creates a small, temporary tattoo on the back of everyone’s hand, in the form of an adorable doll, in the image of her own Tzitzimimeh – Citlalin and Itzpapa.

“Let’s get back together tomorrow morning for breakfast,” she says with a wave of her hand, already back to her bottle. Amber and Eula gather with her at the table, eager to talk around a good drink before bed. The youngsters don’t wait too long and quickly make their way outside.

Diona is quite relieved to be out of the stinky place, and she runs happily behind Collei and Ororon who walk in front of her, deep in a talk she doesn’t quite understand, something about agriculture and insects? As they go along the path, however, the little cat girl feels more and more uneasy.

Collei looks so happy right now, radiant even, giggling and talking excitedly about some plant of vegetable or whatever, and Ororon despite not showing a clear smile looks very much enthralled by the young girl next to him. Before she knew it, the two love birds have locked their hands together, as naturally as a gust of wind through Windrise. There is a clear hint of something that even Diona understands. The Cat’s Tail, the establishment where she serves as barmaid, sees a lot of people from all walks of life, and the number of couples who come together to enjoy a good coffee or play a game of TCG make up easily half of her patrons.

And she has learned to read the room: when two people share feelings with each other, she can almost smell it. In this case, however, she only needs her eyes to see the newly couple getting closer and closer together. And she is starting to feel like a hindrance.

This won’t do.

“Hey! Collei! I think I’m going to sleep back at Granny’s home after all! See you tomorrow!”

Before Ororon and Collei have the time to realize what she meant, Diona is already gone from their sight. The little cat girl grins happily as she sprints away, so glad to see Collei in love. And if she has to spend the night in a stinky home… She’ll gladly accept the sacrifice. It wouldn’t be the first time she sleeps in the home of a drunkard after all.

She quickly retraces her steps, finding her way easily through the night thanks to her night vision – a lesser known trait of her Kätzlein bloodline. And when she arrives at the door of Citlali’s home, she just has to touch the front of the door with the palm of her hand to open it. The little tattoo on her hand glows, and the door slowly splits open… But she somehow stops when she hears the adults talking very seriously, a clear contrast to Citlali’s earlier drunken torpor. If anything she sounds sober now.

Feeling something is amiss, she keeps the door slightly ajar and listens carefully with her heightened sense of hearing – another trait of her bloodline.

“… what do you mean a broken soul? Is that dangerous?” Eula’s voice sounds serious, something Diona rarely hears.

“It can be, although she does have a strong seal, I noticed. Something to keep a dangerous entity in check, and to prevent her soul from degrading further.”

“Oh, it was Cyno would made it, I remember that!” Amber interjects, her voice clearer than the other two. “Wait, are you saying it’s not enough? Is Collei in danger?”

Amber sounds both concerned and… maybe angry?

“No, not immediately. But she is limited by her emotions. Every negative emotions – anger, sadness, fear – can leave a small crack in her defenses. As it stands, in a few years she might need another, stronger seal.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Amber is almost pleading. Diona can hear the utmost concern of the Outrider towards Collei. It is no mystery to her how both of them care for each other, like very close sisters – or a maybe stronger bond than that.

After a minute of heavy silence, Citlali responds.

“There is. If your feelings for her are that strong, we may yet seal that entity for good.”

“I’ll do it!” Amber’s reply is immediate, “Whatever you need, just ask.”

“Thank you, Madam Itztli, I would never have expected the help of such a powerful shaman so graciously,” Eula thanks Citlali politely, but her voice betrays her own care for Collei’s safety and health.

“D-Don’t mention it!” Citlali suddenly gets flustered, “I’m just helping my grandson’s friend! Th-That’s all!”

“All the same, thank you!” Amber almost jumps to hug her host, but she is quickly rebuked when Citlali shouts suddenly.

“Who’s there!”

Diona freezes. She is usually confident in her hunting and stalking abilities, but to be caught so easily… Yet as soon as she resigns herself to show herself, someone tall and menacing appears behind her. The person opens the door like she owns the place and walks in, passing right next to Diona. Amber and Eula are stunned by the sudden interruption by this unknown woman.

“Huitziliiiin!” Citlali however is anything but stunned, and she throws herself in tears, in the arms of the beautiful woman with fair skin and long ginger hair who just appeared.

“Hehe, did you miss me that much?” Huitzilin bends down and gives a quick loving peck on Citlali’s lips, which calms her down immediately. Her eyes fall on the two mute guests, and she greets them with a wide smile. “Welcome, did you take good care of my little star?”

“Uh… hi?” Amber waves hesitantly. “Are you…?”

“This granny’s wife of course!” She laughs, still held in the strong embrace of her star struck lover, “Now tell me, is the little one at the door one of your own?”

“...Who?”

Amber and Eula quickly find Diona, still stunned and fidgeting at the entrance.

It sounds like a few explanations are in order now…

Chapter Text

The next day two little love birds come knocking at the door just before sunrise. They do have the “key” to enter, but so early in the morning it is still polite to announce themselves.

“Ororon! Nice to finally see you visit your grandmas!” It is Huitzilin who answers the door and her beautiful, freckled face brightens when she finds who comes. Her eyes of course glide towards the smaller girl who holds Ororon’s hand.

She nods discreetly, “I do not think I’ve had the pleasure? Collei, right? My name is Huitzilin, a dream scroll expert. I believe you met my wife as well?”

“Oh! Yes, nice to meet you Madam Huitzilin! Ororon told me about you. Thank you for letting us stay with you for our… stay!” The young lady bows slightly, awkwardly unsure how to politely greet the adoptive grandmother of her new boyfriend. Thankfully – or not – her stomach answers for her in the form of a low growl.

Huitzilin smiles understandably, “You must be hungry! I know our Ororon has a lot of vegetables and honey at his little home, but a young lady needs a proper breakfast. Come in, join us!”

Ororon walks in with no hesitation, gives a little peck on his grandma’s cheek and gently pulls Collei inside.

The place is so much cleaner than yesterday, not to mention the pungent smell of alcohol has been replaced by something delicious being cooked in the kitchen. Diona, still in her Tepetlisaur pajamas, is already busying herself behind the counter. She self-proclaimed herself in charge of drinks, and so she is focused on trying different mixes of juices and didn’t notice the new people arrive.

“Diona, good morning!”

“Collei!” The cat girl stops her work midway then runs to hug and headbutt Collei’s side.

“Ouch! Come on, did you miss me that much? Hehe!”

Diona rubs her little face a few times against Collei’s clothes before lifting her eyes and checking her big sister. The conversation she eavesdropped last night still lingers in her mind. Something about Collei having a broken soul, and a demon sealed inside her? Despite the shamans’ explanations she did not get everything, but one thing is for sure: she won’t let Collei suffer alone. And that starts with making sure she doesn’t start the day with an empty stomach.

“Hm, come eat, I’ve made some juice cocktails!” Instead of wallowing on uncertain emotions, she instead invites the couple to the table. Huitzilin follows and they all start eating as the sun starts illuminating the inside of the cozy home and awaking its occupants.

“Amber and Eula are still asleep?” Collei swallows a particularly big bite from some kind of tasty bread before asking an obvious question. She did see them both still lying under a heavy blanket near the library corner.

“Yeah,” Diona answers without the same courtesy of speaking with her mouth empty. She spreads a few crumbs around, and Huitzilin dutifully helps her clean up her face. “They were very tired yesterday. Both had a big fight, after all.”

Collei freezes in place. “They had a fight??”

A silent wind flies over the table.

Diona quickly shakes her head, “Oh wait, no, of course not! I mean they had battles, right? Eula with that scary red lady, and Eula with that… was it a capybara?”

“I heard. She fought and won against He Never Dies,” Huitzilin nods as she takes a sip of her cocktail before smirking teasingly, “Even our Ororon here had a hard time against it the first time he unlocked his blessing.”

Ororon gives her a weird look, glancing sideways as though to signify his disapproval of dissing him in front of his new girlfriend.

Suddenly his eyes widen and he lets out a content sigh after finishing his drink. “This… is the best juice cocktail I’ve ever drank. How’d you do that??”

“Just some mixing. That’s my job after all.” Diona stands proudly on her chair, basking in the praise for her craft.

A sleepy voice suddenly intervenes, “Hey! Don’t stand on your chair, you little brat!”

Of course it’s Citlali who walks on sleepy legs, wobbles and takes a seat next to her wife, after staring enough at Diona to make her sit back down.

“My little star, did you sleep well?” Huitzilin leans down to give her a little peck on the corner of her lips, to which Citlali responds with a contented smile. She nods and starts eating, her grumpy behavior somehow evaporated.

“So, not only little Diona here shares our concern for your alcoholic tendencies, but she also makes killer cocktails,” Huitzilin says with a glint in her eyes, “Can we keep her?”

“Her parents would be very angry with us if we handed her to you,” a drowsy voice says, coming from the library. Eula’s head peeks out of her blanket, her icy eyes looking straight at the people noisily eating at the table.

“Are you up? Come join us!” Ororon says, waving a plate full of delicious looking dishes to attract Eula and Amber out of their slumber.

Although Eula stays dignified – despite her obvious hunger – Amber doesn’t show the same concern. She rushes to the table and finds her place naturally next to Collei. After giving each other a little hug, her little sister immediately offers her a glass and a plate, promptly filled up by helpful hands.

“Thankth!” Amber’s mouth is already full a few seconds after sitting down.

Eula makes sure she is presentable before joining her girlfriend’s side, and at once everyone resumes their peaceful breakfast.

“I trust you didn’t do anything untoward to Collei last night, Mister Ororon.”

Eula glares at the only man around the table. The subject had to be brought up at some point, but somehow it had to wait until they were almost finished. The fact that Diona came back to this home, leaving Collei and Ororon all alone in his home didn’t escape anyone who experienced youthful love.

“O course not, Madame Eula. I would never hurt Collei or do anything she doesn’t agree with,” Ororon stands his grounds and maintains Eula’s stare.

Jumping on the opportunity, Amber whispers in Collei’s ear, “You made sure to use protection, right?”

Collei stammers back, “We didn’t go that far!” Yet, she adds in her head.

Amber giggles and diverts the conversation towards something else, while she thinks about Collei’s well being. She suspects that something did happen, but that it did not go well, judging from the way Collei dropped her head at her question, instead of getting flustered. At least she and Ororon seem to be on good terms still, so hopefully it should be ok for the time being not to probe too much. Sometimes all people need is a bit of time.

The subject everyone is interested in however is today’s schedule for the guests. From the start it was Collei’s plan to visit the Masters of the Night Wind, to study their therapeutic ways among other things. Of course the fact that she got herself a boyfriend from that same tribe made it a place she had to visit absolutely.

Citlali gives Collei a little slip of paper which shines with mysterious shamanic energy. This, it turns out, is a pass to attend any lecture she wants over the next few days, vouched by Granny Itztli herself. A perfect gift for the girl who stole her grandson’s heart. Of course when Collei thanks her profusely, Citlali pouts and feigns disinterest.

Amber knows she would not be able to stand any lecture – standing still for hours sounds like torture for the ever energetic outrider. Therefore she chooses to go with Diona visit the more child friendly parts of the tribe’s settlement. Eula herself prefers to stay with Collei and accompany her to make sure she is safe. Not that the area has any dangerous or malevolent individuals. But because she knows how sensible Collei can be. She may be well versed in mental and physical therapy already, but to be exposed to serious subjects like disease, mental illness, or death, all can take a toll on someone. And so Eula decides to be Collei’s support, if only to ensure she doesn’t get overwhelmed.

This is even more needed since Ororon actually has work to do today – his flattened ears are a clear sign of his unwillingness to go too far from his new girlfriend, but he knows how important those lessons are for her. Besides, he wouldn’t want to distract her.

The group finally departs, each to their own goals of the day… but before they go away, Citlali and Huitzilin call out for Collei and Amber to join them back inside for a quick talk.

Amber seems to know already what they want to talk about: she gives a quick glance towards her girlfriend, Eula, who nods in response.

Collei however doesn’t understand what they want. They sit down around a small table, with Collei next to Amber, both facing the two powerful shamans.

… Is it a kind of interview to try and get me to get away from Ororon?

Her poor mind races, but she soon feels Amber’s hand squeezing hers gently.

Right. With Amber next to her, it has to be something else.

“Collei, we have a suggestion,” Citlali starts. Contrary to her past behavior, she looks impressively stoic and commanding. It is indeed a serious matter they need to discuss.

A few minutes of explanations and Collei can’t believe her ears.

“Is that really possible?” she asks, incredulous. “To fully seal my fragment?”

Huitzilin nods, “With our shamanic powers and our scroll weaving technics, it is indeed something we can attempt.”

Citlali continues, “But of course it would only be possible because you have someone willing to protect you with her life next to you. You are lucky, Collei.”

The idea sounds egregious to the Sumeru girl. Born with Eleazar, experimented on then escaped to become an outcast, she only found solace far, far away from her home nation of Sumeru. All thanks to someone. Someone so dear to her that she now sees her like a sister. Her most important person in the world.

Collei turns her head towards the girl clinging tenderly to her hand, a gentle smile on her face.

“With this, you will be able to be yourself. Free from that last curse.” Amber squeezes her hand once more, and Collei responds in kind.

Maybe this is the right time indeed.

The shamans nod, and ask Collei and Amber to join them at the heart of the tribe’s holy ground when night falls.

Once finished, both girls get back to Eula and Diona who have been waiting for them all along.

“Are you ok?” Diona asks, worried but also anxious to get going. The night filled up her energy and she needs to move. As though her days of torpor spent in the Collective of Plenty had to be balanced back.

“We’re fine, let’s go!” Amber joyfully announces, not without sending another one of her winks towards Eula, who immediately understands the message.

Collei agrees.

But of course before they can help alleviate Collei’s curse, there is a full day of lessons up ahead!

Chapter Text

The bottom of the ravine where the Masters of the Night-Wind reside slowly slopes down following a small river in its middle. Through geological times this small stream dug through the soft rock of an ancient plateau and made the canyon that it is today, with a few remaining rocky columns dotting the whole region.

Amber, Eula, Collei and Diona walk on a path that threads through and around those pillars. But as they arrive at the foot of the biggest one, atop which the highest building of the tribe has been built, they split up.

Collei’s main purpose today is to attend as many lessons as she can thanks to Citlali’s pass. She naturally follows the path through a mysterious cave, where she has been told all shamanic practices and teachings are held.

The first mention of attending lectures made Amber cringe as she remembered the torturous lessons from Lisa when she taught her how to use magic. And what Collei would learn would no doubt be way more advanced – and soporific – so the Outrider, rightfully, shall not accompany her little sister inside.

Diona is of the same mind: sure she likes her school days, but mostly because she gets to hang out with all her friends. Besides she’s on vacation! No doubt this shamanic cave is going to be filled with all geezers and boring people reading books and mumbling incomprehensible chants. Not something the cat girl is eager to enjoy, and so she joins Amber in the lesson-skipping group.

“Then let’s meet back at lunch?” Eula says as she accompanies Collei inside. They wave at Amber and Diona who quickly run away.

The two energetic girls run towards the side of a cliff, where they have heard a new fairground just opened. And indeed, there are already plenty of small children running around, playing and looking at the different attractions. The place is full of interesting activities: a haunted cave, a mini theater for kids with living scrolls shows, yet another saurian petting zoo, and a school to learn flight with qucusaurs… which has been relocated to the Flower Feather-Clan, to Amber’s disappointment.

She will have to do with the normal stuff today, but that’s fine: Diona is already excitedly running around, unable to chose what to do first.

Amber laughs and pulls Diona’s little hand towards the haunted cave. They have all the day before them, all day to do everything they can before Amber joins Collei in the evening for her most important rite. Thinking about helping her little sister move on makes Amber’s heart ache as she smiles excitedly.

This should be a good day!

As they walk deeper underground following a path lit with blue lights and ghostly sprites, Eula follows Collei closely, a couple of steps behind. She decided to act as her guardian – a bodyguard if you will – and leave Collei decide her schedule as she sees fit. Not that the Masters of the Night-Wind is a dangerous place, but Eula feels being there for Collei, even as just a mere presence next to her, should support her as she attends lectures on decidedly morbid subjects.

Soon the tunnel opens up into a giant hall, where a magnificent obsidian monument stands, held up by ropes and chains. The Wayob are worshiped in all of the tribes, but nowhere as thoroughly as the shamanic tribe of the Masters of the Night-Wind. Its eternal blue flame in front of it is perpetually guarded by a high ranking priest, lost in a trance to keep the communication with the Wayob alive all year long.

All around the hall a large number of circular platforms made of pale wood have been erected, and on each one a shaman lecturer stands, teaching a group of students from all walks of life, all ages and all parts of the world. While Natlan was closed this place was mostly used to guide the numerous souls lost in battle, and sooth the minds of their brethren. But now that peace has prevailed, it has turned into a place where soul searching and healing rituals are taught.

Apart from the Wayob monument, there is something else – or rather someone else – who stands out: to the left side of the entrance, a giant man taller than anyone else, even though he is just sitting cross-legged on the ground. The chief of the tribe, Biram, who Eula briefly met when she went to inform him of their trip before rushing back to Amber’s side when she was getting treated.

Collei checks her lesson guide: he teaches grief management and funeral rites for the departed. Eula shudders at the subject: such an ominous choice to start with!

But he is just finishing his lesson for two students who appear to be two ladies from different nations. Two ladies who argue as they walk away from the lecture area.

And as Eula was about to pull Collei to her to prevent her from getting shoved to the side, Collei gasps.

“Emilie!” she shouts despite herself. One of the two ladies shuts up and turns her head with eyes wide.

“Collei??” Emilie says, ditching her arguing partner, “What are you doing here?” A smile immediately replaces her frown as she takes Collei’s hands in hers.

“Hi, I’m on vacation with some friends! Eula, this is Emilie, a renown perfumer from Fontaine, a friend and acquaintance of Pap- of Master Tighnari. Emilie, this is Eula, Captain of the Knights of Favonius Reconnaissance Company, and my friend Amber’s future wife.”

“Pleasure,” Eula nods without denying the last statement. This is her plan after all, no longer a matter of teasing or speculation.

After Collei explains her reason for attending the tribe’s lectures, it is Emilie’s turn. Eula is curious: why would a perfumer want to learn soul rituals from Natlan? It turns out another job of Emilie’s is a mortician: to clean up death scenes and give the departed a dignified rest no matter how their life ended.

“As you know,” Emilie says, “Natlan’s recent opening to the world means that Natlanese people are free to roam Teyvat, and as you might expect some of them might meet their end far away from their home nation.”

Collei nods, she is starting to understand.

Emilie continues as she adjusts her glasses, “If I ever have to ‘help’ a Natlan native, I want to learn the proper way to treat their body, and by extension their soul.”

It all makes sense now. But Eula is getting distracted by the other lady who was talking with Emilie, the one who stepped aside and stopped arguing when they greeted each other. “And this is…?” she tries to ask, seeing her not moving away from Emilie’s back.

Emilie frowns again, “...This is Hu Tao, my classmate. From Liyue.”

The smaller girl, wearing a strange black and red attire and particular hat, rolls her eyes and trots forward.

“How drab!” she whines but immediately switches to a more business mood, “I am the Wangsheng’s Funeral Parlor current Director, nice to meet you both!”

She gives a few strange cards to Eula and Collei. But these are not business cards as one would expect from someone from Liyue. Even less from a Funeral Director.

“Really, Hu Tao? Giving out your funeral coupons to people you first met?” Emilie grimaces, already ready to start bickering again.

“Two for one… what?” Eula can hardly believe the outlandish offer to… split the cost of a coffin?

“I knew I should’ve kept Hu Tao away from you. Sorry Collei, Miss Eula.”

“Lighten up, Emilie! Anyway, our next lesson is over there. Handling departed artifacts… that should be interesting!”

Hu Tao and Emilie walk away after waving good bye, bickering away yet moving closely towards the same goal.

“Uh. Never seen Emilie so ticked off before. She is usually so… stoic?” Collei muses.

“Some people have a way to get under your skin…” Eula says. And some have a way to get into your heart that way, she thinks to herself, remembering how Amber won her heart.

Biram who was waiting patiently for his students to leave, beckons Collei to approach him. He knows she is eager to learn what he teaches, and doesn’t even bother asking her what she is looking for. She is his only student for this session it appears: a great way for Collei to learn. And despite feeling overpowered by his presence, his gentle nature soon makes her relax and focus on the lesson.

Eula sits nearby, happy to see Collei already focused, learning, asking questions, taking notes, forgetting even Eula herself. In her element, she looks determined and reliable. Her parents would be proud.

Noon arrives quick and the four travelers reconvene outside for a well deserved lunch.

With two new guests.

“Nice to meet you, miss Emilie! You smell good!” Diona happily chatter while she waits for her order to arrive.

“Ooh! What about me?” Hu Tao flutters next to Diona, bringing out her best business smile.

Diona scrunches her nose, “You… smell like trouble. Bleh!”

But the funerary director bursts out in laughter, “And here I thought all cats loved me, oh woe is me!” She quickly recovers, turning her attention to Eula and Amber.

“So, you are both knights, right? I heard Mondstadt has had some serious hillichurl problems recently! There was even a battle within the walls, and rumors of lost people in the mountains. The perfect opportunity to extend my business to Mondstadt?”

Eula shakes her head in disbelief. “We… already have the Church of Favonius for our rites. I think we have enough-”

“Oh, don’t say that, surely a bit of competition wouldn’t hurt?” Hu Tao makes a cutesy face, whimsical despite the usually serious subject matter.

“If only you brought something interesting to the table, but no: all you seem to know is use those awful smelling incense sticks for your rites,” Emilie is back to arguing, and eating her plate.

“Uh…” Diona ponders aloud. “You know, you bicker like an old couple.”

Hu Tao jumps on her seat, “Bleh!” She sticks her tongue out in disgust.

Emilie instead coughs and readjusts her glasses again, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

And so, she does.

“Anyways… My poor nose couldn’t smell anything for a day last time you lit one of those dirty sticks!”

Diona nods energetically – those burning sticks have always made her mad.

“I dunno, I like the scent,” Amber interjects, to everyone’s surprise. “What? I think it reminds me of grandpa. He didn’t light incense frequently, but he always did light one for my birthday.”

Then she falls silent as everyone munches on their meal. Eula knows how much her girlfriend misses the one who raised her – she does too. But once in a while she would remember something about him, often in relation to Liyue. Although Hu Tao’s character and profession sound like trouble in many ways, at least she seems to have brought Amber a nice little glimpse into her past.

Somehow before the end of the lunch Diona has become even more antagonistic than Emilie against Hu Tao. The last straw was when she realized Hu Tao had a special line of business for alcoholic customers, who tend to meet their end in quite inventive ways. Diona ends up sitting on Emilie’s lap, purring as she allows Emilie to pet her head. A rare opportunity, especially for someone she just met. But she is Collei’s friend, and she doesn’t drink alcohol! Instead she uses alcohol for something else: make perfumes! Maybe a way to redirect Mondstadt alcohol industry to something less destructive than wine and cider.

On the opposite end Amber and Hu Tao hit it off easily. The two pyro girls yap and chatter away like old friends, leaving Eula and Collei stunned.

“I didn’t think they’d be that similar,” Collei mumbles. “I swear, they could be sisters or cousins, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Indeed. Even their hair color is close. If they were to wear similar clothes…” Eula stops her train of thoughts. Imagining Amber in that strange short and black shirt getup sounds strange, but interesting. Although of course they would have to find a “looser” shirt in the top area to let Amber breathe.

The desserts are eaten quickly, and the meal ends with everyone satiated and ready to rush to their afternoon activities!

“See you around,” Emilie bows and walks away.

“See ya! Keep in touch Amber!” Hu Tao waves and winks, before running to join her colleague on their way towards the lecture hall. They lock arms along the way, but it only takes a few seconds for them to start arguing again.

“They’re weird,” Diona says, holding Amber’s hand to go back to the fairground.

“They look good together,” Amber says, “I ship it.”

“Yeah, me too,” Collei adds with a smirk.

“Shipping? What does that mean?” Eula frowns.

“Oh, we’re gonna have to teach you that one, ma chérie!” Amber gently kisses her girlfriend before rushing away with Diona.

Eula doesn’t dare ask Collei what that shipping means, but she keeps it as a note. Right now, she has a job to do: to ensure Collei attends all the lectures she wants incident-free until the evening comes – but before Collei gets too tired.

She needs to be in good enough health for tonight’s rite. Eula is not meant to participate, but she knows both Amber and Collei need to be in full health for it – mentally at least. Surely a strained wrist in a cast wouldn’t endanger such an important event.

Chapter Text

The Hall of the Chamber of Weaving stands underground deep below the surface, far away from the worries and trepidations of mortals. Its true location is unknown – some say it sits at the heart of the Night Kingdom – and it can only be accessed through a long series of shamanic portals. After going through the blueish gates several times, Collei and Amber finally arrive at the place where the rite will take place.

The rite to quell Collei's demons and help her lead the life she wants without that overbearing weight pulling her down, forcing her to measure her emotions at every turn of her life, pushing away any feeling of deep anger, and never allowing herself to love as deeply as she wishes.

The hall is sparsely lit with a few blue lanterns, but most of the light comes from all the beautiful tapestries hanging from the ceiling and the walls. An immense gallery of colorful stories, archived in this place like a library of lives. Most of the stories here are from Natlanese people of course, with a few others from Khaenri'ahns, already centuries old.

But there is a new row now, incomplete but with strikingly different art styles.

"These are tapestries recently woven by guests from our friend nations," Huitzilin says. She appears wearing the same simple robe that Collei and Amber have been told to wear after a long ablution.

She smiles, "How are you feeling Collei?"

The young woman can't hide her nervousness, but a gentle squeeze reminds her that Amber is here by her side.

"I'm fine," she says with more strength than she thought, "I can do it."

"Perfect. Follow me to the weaving pedestal."

Huitzilin marches forward, her long unbraided hair weaving like a river of orange gold. Amber's own brown hair is also completely down, without her characteristic bow; a rare sight indeed. Collei wonders if she should let her own hair grow as well. She knows Diona has started doing so, in a cute hope of imitating Amber.

But Collei shakes her shorter green hair: no need to think about that now. She is getting nervous and distracted, and before she realizes it they have arrived in front of a circular platform, in the middle of which stands a massive and complex construction made of wood and strings. The Weaver.

"You're on time, good." Citlali appears from behind her wife, her light purple hair also loose. She is wearing her own robe, and a professional look on her face. "Let's begin."

They have been briefed at length about the steps to take, but getting thrown in it head first makes Collei slightly dizzy. Thankfully Amber stands in front of her and takes her hands. "I'm with you all the way, you'll do fine!" A radiant smile illuminates Amber, her sister not by blood but by fate. Collei nods and disrobes as the first step of the ceremony.

All four women remove their last piece of clothing, to stand bare in front of the Wayob. Purified bodies and with nothing else but themselves, the rite can now begin.

Citlali takes her place to the right of the Weaver. Her body is pale and pristine, young-looking despite her incredible age and with barely any ink to decorate her body. But her expression shows the command of her rank, and as she sits down cross legged, her petite form only contrasts with her incredible aura.

Huitzilin is bigger than her wife, and her skin is strikingly different: more tanned, with more wrinkles showing her age – though she might be as ancient as Citlali –, but also covered in scars of many sizes. When she removes her robe to take her place opposite Citlali, Amber and Collei are stunned by the impressive amount of tattoos – special phlogiston engravings – that cover her body. The shapes are abstract, geometrical and multicolored, but each tell a story about the war scars she harbors, like a canvas for her body's long life. Down under the earth where elemental energy gather, the full colors of her tattoos look absolutely breathtaking.

Amber herself is pretty small compared to Huitzilin, but her skin is darkened by the sun, her freckles more evident on her face and chest, and her toned body littered with smaller scars and bruises. A testament to her constant effort at her work as an Outrider out in the wild in the service of Mondstadt, with a few battle wounds she likes to boast about. She sits to the side, right behind Collei, as her chaperon and guardian.

When Collei removes her robe, she feels weirdly at peace, instead of awkward or ashamed of body like she usually is. The two shaman's eyes do not look away when they see her skin covered with scars in the shape of scales. Remnants of her Eleazar, a disease that cost her her childhood, her innocence, and almost her life. Despite being eradicated, the illness left a faded yet indelible trace on her, something she's felt greatly self-conscious about and tried to hide as much as possible with her choice of clothes.

And right on the nape of her neck, invisible to the naked eye but obvious for the two powerful Shamans, the seal to stop the beast implanted by the Fatui all those years ago. This seal remains undisturbed, as a sign of her own protection but also as shackles to an unjust curse.

When Collei finally kneels down on the cushion in front of the giant weaving implement, Citlali begins her ritualistic chant. An eerie voice, a strange song, an ancient tongue, unknown words. Huitzilin meanwhile gives the shuttle to Collei, an ancient looking one with no strings attached. She is meant to weave her story using her life force and memories to materialize the drawing on the canvas in front of her. But with Amber as support and the two powerful shamans leading the ceremony, her only concern should be the accuracy of her story, and the truth of her emotions.

A little ocelot born in the rainforest with green fur and green eyes was afflicted by an ancient curse, creating painful patches of dark fur on its fuzzy coat. In despair, her parents brought her to a wolf who claimed it could heal their child.

But the wolf lied, and the little ocelot never saw her parents ever again. Instead she made friends with other young animals afflicted with the same curse, gathered in a herd by a pack of wolves, lost under a cliff of the dry desert.

The wolves played with the children, but the ill young animals hated it. Those who rebelled disappeared, and the green little ocelot remained, branded and corralled.

One day the wolves let their guard down, and a small group of children escaped. The green ocelot was one of them.

Running far away from the sands, the small group dwindled until only the little green ocelot remained. No herd or group would take her in, fearing the curse would spread to them.

Collei stifles a whimper. Her eyes are blurry with tears, but she wants to continue. The canvas is halfway done now, with a small green cat depicting her own story like in one of those books for children from Mondstadt.

It takes her a while to realize why she chose this art style, but the answer in evident. Right behind her she feels Amber’s warmth, standing guard, someone she trust with her life since she saved her years ago.

After a minute of rest and turmoil, her trembling hands resume the weaving, and a subtle red string appears in her barely colored story, right on cue.

One day the little green ocelot reached a wide plain full of little flowers turning like windmill. There she met a curious red rabbit, who strangely didn't run away from her.

At first wary, the little ocelot slowly opened up to the bunny and started following and playing with her. Despite her illness, the ocelot felt alive now.

And when a wolf from tried to get her back into captivity, her rabbit friend summoned her own family to defend her: a nocturnal owl, a devious peacock, a witch and a lioness. They called a desert fox as well from her home forest, and with the bunny's might they fended off the wolf.

The little ocelot returned to her forest with the desert fox, to go back to her roots and find a new family. But she didn't forget her friends from the windy plains and the red rabbit who painted colors back into her world.

Collei only takes a small break after this part. She is focused, eager to continue and recount this last part of her life.

A few summers later, the goddess of the forest finally managed to dispel her curse.

The little ocelot learned to live again.

Only the brand of the wolves remained on her back...

"But she shall never be shackled by them ever again," Collei finishes the story aloud with one last pass of her shuttle.

The tears have disappeared from her face, and she now stands before her life's story, weaved like an illustration of one of Mondstadt’s fairytales that she loves. The ending though takes the more traditional art style of the forest’s dwellers which she has now become.

A pair of warm arms wrap around her in a tight hug, from someone she knows and love, "Congrats Collei, it's beautiful!"

The two sisters hug gently in front of the two Shamans. Citlali rolls her eyes, "That's not exactly the orthodox way to do the next step you know?"

"Come on my little star," Huitzilin whispers, "Their strong bond will make it easier."

Citlali hmphs but doesn't retort. Instead they both join their chants and start the last part of the rite. Using Collei's woven story they strengthen the seal on her body to protect her from any outburst. Only a force akin to a godly wrath could undo her seal now.

It takes a while, but the lights of Collei's tapestry soon turns bright as the ceremony ends. Just like that, Collei looks up at her story which Citlali went to hang with the others in the new row. It’s not like her trauma has disappeared or her god fragment is gone. But confronting her whole life until now made her realize how much control it had on her until now, even after getting cured from Eleazar.

With Amber smiling ever so proudly by her side, Collei feels accomplished, ready to step into her new life, finally. And as testament to her new resolution, there is something she wants to ask Huitzilin now that the ceremony is over.

All four women leave the Weaving chamber and quickly put back their usual garments. Unlike her talkative self, Amber stays silent and attentive, crossing arms with Collei just to make sure she is alright. And then Collei asks her question to the shaman with the colorful tattoos.

"Are you sure? Those can be difficult and painful to remove if you change your mind," Huitzilin asks with a serious tone, but Collei seems resolute. She continues, "You could do like my little star here and use advanced healing magic to ‘fix’ your body."

"Hey!" Citlali interjects, "I'm a special case, with a curse of my own. Besides, look at her, Collei has already decided. We just need the approval of her guardians."

Amber flinches, she was about to doze off uncharacteristically when she heard her name. "Huh? Oh I'm all for it! Eula might disagree, but I'll take responsibility in front of her parents if they complain. Anyways, it's about time Collei starts her rebellious phase, hahaha!"

"Yeah, right!" Collei rolls her eyes, but she is happy Amber has her back – as always.

Late at night Amber and Collei finally get back home at Citlali's, where Eula and Diona have been waiting for them nervously. Ororon is also here, busying himself in the kitchen to prepare something filling for the exhausted women coming back from the ceremony. A habit he took for when he grew up as Citlali and Huitzilin’s grandson.

"Collei! Are you ok now?" Diona carefully jumps to hug her big sister.

"Yes, I'm all good now!" The young woman smiles, tired but content after such a long day. Diona drags Collei to the kitchen to feed her the dishes that she and Ororon prepared, while Eula takes Amber away for a private talk.

"Our two shaman friends didn't come back with you?"

"No they had some more cleaning up to do."

"What took you so long? We were getting worried."

"Just making sure we made everything right.”

Eula checks her girlfriend’s face, which looks paler than usual. “I told you to hold back, and look at you. How much blood did you lose?”

Amber averts her eyes, “Enough to help Collei and not faint. And it made sure nice threads too!”

“Amber!” Eula scolds her, but instead of chastising her she simply hugs her tenderly. She knows how much Collei means for her, and just like Amber supports Collei, she shall be the guardian of her lover. Amber asked the Shamans to hide that part of the ritual from Collei: to not disturb her little protegee during the ceremony and so that she focuses entirely on her recovery. Of course Amber will have to tell Collei later on what she did… but it’ll have to wait for another day.

After a few minutes of rest, Amber finally lets out one last thing, which she almost forgot to mention.

“And, uh, there is something else I need to tell you."

Eula freezes. Amber's tone is the one she uses when she knows she might upset her girlfriend.

"Alright. What is it?"

"Collei asked Huitzilin to draw phlogiston engravings on her skin, around her scars."

"Phlogiston what?"

Amber braces herself, "Basically she got some tattoos now."

"What?!"

Chapter Text

The sky is dark now, and the two shamans are still not back to their home.

“Is it usual for them to come back this late?” Eula asks as she shoves food into Amber’s mouth with a spoon. Her girlfriend can hardly talk back, but she knows very well that Eula just wants her to get her strength back after the strenuous last few days. If anything she resigns herself to enjoy the special treatment.

“Oh yeah,” Ororon raises his knife, “The rituals are one thing, but the reports they have to write take as much time if not more. They’ll be back soon, don’t worry.”

And right on cue, someone knocks outside.

… but who would knock at their own door?

After looking around at the guests, Ororon gets up and answers since he is after all the grandson of the home owners… His face lit up when he recognizes the late night visitor.

“Bro!” He says, opening his arms for a hug.

“Bro!” Ifa responds with an equally large smile on his face.

The two men hug like life-long friends – which they are – before stepping inside together.

A little feathery ball follows Ifa, fluttering a few wing flaps behind.

“Bro?” Cacucu shouts as well with his shrilly voice, when he realizes the house is full of foreign ladies.

A tall, blue haired woman who keeps her spoon stuck in another woman’s mouth by her side, who is starting to choke since the tall lady stopped moving.

That other woman has… not wings, sadly, just long ears on her head. Her stare is unsettling.

A small cat is also here, staring at Cacucu intensely from afar. Stay away from her for now, he decides on instinct.

And finally a girl next to which Ororon sits. A girl with strangely green hair. A vegetable woman? Ororon’s friend then.

Cacucu flies back to Ifa after his round of observation…

But it gets tackled in the air by a blurry red shape.

“Oh it’s so cuuute!” Amber could not resist the fluffy red ball hanging around Ifa, and she instinctively dove to cuddle the little qucusaur who reminds her so much of her own Baron Bunny – albeit even smaller and floaty.

“No way bro!” Cacucu shrills, fluttering his small wings to try and get away from Amber’s bear hug – a vain attempt.

“Well ladies, this is Cacucu,” Ifa laughs, “Name’s Ifa by the way. Nice to meet you all.” He tips his hat to each guest, before deciding to remove it. Being inside granny Itztli’s home better call for caution, and keeping one’s head covered can be pretty rude… especially in the home of such esteemed and old people.

“This is Ifa, my best bro,” Ororon shortly introduces Ifa with a friendly gesture. The obvious glee with which he shows off his friend is palpable, “We’ve been close ever since I came to live in the Masters of the Night Winds, though he’s a few years older than me. He was the only kid who didn’t mock me for being… different. Nowadays he takes care of injured saurians, like the little one over here. Hi Cacucu!”

“Help me bro!” the little saurian bird seems to cry for help, but his demeanor has mostly subdued now that Amber came to sit back at the table. Collei couldn’t resist as well and joined her with tentative petting as well. Thankfully the little saurian seems to melt under their shared attention, no longer trying to escape.

Ifa nods happily after checking his little companion, before turning his attention back to Ororon, “And now I get to mock you every day! Isn’t that great?” Ifa laughs, with a hearty laughter that makes everyone else follow. Somehow the almost morose atmosphere after Amber and Collei’s return has turned around to a jolly and relaxed atmosphere.

Everyone greets Ororon’s friend in turn, until it comes to Collei. She weekly recites her Forest Ranger greeting, before resuming her meal. Not that she wants to appear unrespectful, but she is starting to feel the weight of the day draining her, and her bed is calling her.

Ifa sits at the table next to Ororon and partakes in their meal at their invitation, not so discreetly staring at the young girl with the exotic green hair. “I must tell you miss Collei, my bro may be the weirdest man in Natlan – nay in Teyvat – but he’s a good man. You can trust me on that!”

“Hey! I’m a nice weirdo, that’s all,” Ororon hits Ifa with a friendly elbow but chuckles nonetheless.

“Yeah, trust me bro!” Cacucu adds to the banter despite still being imprisoned by Amber’s arms. She is multitasking being fed by her girlfriend and cuddling the cutest bird she’s ever seen. The blissful look on her face says it all.

Ifa chuckles, “When Varesa snitched to me that you found yourself a girlfriend, I was wondering if she was also someone… let’s say similar to her – you know, what with her being your first love and all. But I have to say…” his eyes fall on Ororon’s hand discreetly holding Collei’s, “You do look good together.”

Ororon’s ears twitch happily at his bro’s acknowledgment, while Collei blushes slightly… but doesn’t try to hide, keeping her hand firmly in Ororon’s.

After a while Eula speaks up about something that was bothering her a bit, “Sorry if it sounds unrespectful, sir Ifa, but what business do you have here so late at night?” Eula inject a bit more seriousness in the discussion, not eager to discuss Collei’s relationship after learning of what she did after the ritual from Amber.

Ifa fills his cup and explains, “Well, I’ll have you know it’s been difficult to get a hold of Ororon recently. But when I received that particular news from Varesa, I had to check for myself. It was already pretty suspicious that he disappeared from his garden home for too long, on some strange untimely business. As soon as I heard he was staying at his grannies’ home for the next few days, I rushed to make sure I could see him and find out the truth… so here we are.”

“So?” Ororon inquires, “Happy?”

“Very,” Ifa smiles. “Now I can rest assured that I won’t have to look out for my bro anymore. He’s grown up so much!” Ifa mimes wiping away a non-existent tear falling from his eye, but his smiling eyes make for a very unconvincing acting. “By the way,” he continues not missing a bit, “Your companion over there may be getting some wrong ideas?” Ifa looks towards the kitchen, where Diona is mindlessly washing the same glass over and over while silently cackling in the direction of Cacucu.

“Diona, come join us, that glass has been clean for a while now,” Eula beckons the little cat girl to join her side. “You need to eat as well, we have a long journey planned for tomorrow.”

“Ah, I was about to ask,” Ifa suddenly turns towards Eula, the leader of the group of tourists, “You want to reach the Flower-Feather Clan, right? Judging that you are from Mondstadt –”

“And Sumeru,” Collei interjects softly.

“– and Sumeru,” Ifa chuckles then turns serious, “I must warn you: you might be tempted to fly up using the geysers with your wind gliders, right?”

Amber nods energetically, her full attention aimed at the man from her favorite clan, but her mouth too full to speak up.

He continues, “You must have seen them around the South-Eastern part of this territory, with Qucusaurs and flying instructors using them to gain height? Well, you should know that some Mondstadters tried that before and…”

Amber swallows just in time to gasp, “Oh no, did they crash? Are the winds unstable?”

“Worse: their clothes burned out! You see those wind streams come from deep within the earth beneath Natlan, which is rich is hot magma. So unless you’re a Qucusaur or wearing special clothes, you might catch fire quickly.”

Eula and Diona both grimace at the thought, but Amber doesn’t seem deterred in the least.

“So all we have to do is find the right clothes, right?”

“And make sure your wind glider is also insulated,” Ifa adds. “I should also say that having a vision prevents your own body from getting burned, but you all seem to have one, so you should be safe. We wouldn’t want your hair to catch fire, right?”

Amber nods, “It wouldn’t be the first time that happened to me, vision or not… Anyway, I prepared our wind gliders beforehand to make them weather proof! Rated for the coldest nights of Dragonspine to the hottest days of Sumeru’s desert! We already tested them with Collei before we came to Natlan, so they should work fine.”

“I will take an alternative route, thank you very much,” Eula shakes her head. “Feel free to burst into flames, but the warm climate of Natlan is already hot enough for me.”

“Same for me!” Diona also shakes her head, imitating her guardian. She was about to mention how she’d rather not get back into the sky right now, since the last time she got scared by that horrible beast growl in the sky. So using heat as an excuse suits her very well.

“What about you, Collei?” Ororon asks.

All eyes turn to the green haired girl. She came back tired from her ritual, and she’d remained quite discreet until now. But there is resolve in her eyes, and she doesn’t hesitate for long. She smiles, “I’ll go fly with Amber, of course!”

And so the next part of their travels takes shape: Eula and Diona will take the scenic route by way of the slower but safer transport balloons that regularly fly between the two clans. This will also make it easier to carry all their backpacks and allow the two wind riders to fly as free as they want. Amber and Collei will change into heat-resistant clothes and follow Ifa for a more exciting voyage through the air!

The rest of the evening is spent planning for the activities they want to do in the Flower-Feather Clan, helped by Ifa's easy going explanations of his tribe.

When Amber hears from Ifa that there will be a flying competition in the coming days, she can hardly contain herself. Her friends know how much she likes flying, and how competitive she can be... the perfect combo for her, just as exciting as the Wind Gliding Competitions back in Mondstadt, but here she has the prospect of finding new, potentially highly skilled opponents.

Citlali and Huitzilin arrive late, completely exhausted. Their arrival sounds the cue for everyone to go to bed, with the two men building two impromptu beds in the kitchen area. Everyone is tired and sleep comes very quickly… Except for Amber, who can’t stay still on account of her overwhelming excitement for the next day. She thrashes around nervously in her bed, until Eula decides she’s had enough.

“I’ll take Amber out on a walk to calm her down,” she whispers to Collei and Diona, although the cat girl is already snoring in her cute saurian pajamas. Collei waves a feeble hand in the air, halfway to the land of dreams.

After throwing her squirming girlfriend on her shoulder and keeping her silent with her hand over her mouth, Eula uses her reconnaissance skills to make a silent exit, walking out of the main door and into the fresh air of the dark night with an exasperated yet endearing smile on her face.

The next day comes quickly and everyone wakes up a bit late… which sparks a funny mayhem of breakfast, washing room, and last second finishing a novel started the day before. Thankfully Huitzilin lends that particular book to Collei, saying she can always send it back later… or better yet come visit them again. With Citlali still snoring loudly in their room, her wife takes it upon herself to lend that particular novel. Though she risks a matrimonial wrath for this, it is risk worth taking, in her opinion.

Somehow Cacucu sneaked up to sleep on Diona’s pillow at night, and when the others found them sleeping peacefully at dawn nuzzling closely together, they had to take a few pictures for posterity. For Diona’s parents of course, and for everyone else in Mondstadt who appreciates Diona, which means most residents given her popularity at the Cat’s Tail. Even after waking up Diona doesn’t seem to mind Cacucu staying on her head as she goes around the house getting prepared. Maybe she wasn’t cackling at the little bird as yet another prey… but because she, too, wanted to pet it. Cacucu must have realized it when they all fell asleep.

Finally everyone gets out of the house to their own respective business. Citlali has been summoned by the Pyro Archon, in part, she says, to report about the recent incidents due to the mysterious beast roars heard in the skies of Natlan recently. As for Huitzilin, she has to go all the way to the deserted island of Tenochtzitoc for a new project. Something to do with a new project that requires her expertise in colors manipulation.

While Ororon would love to accompany the group – mostly to stay with Collei – he sadly has to accompany Citlali as well to the Stadium of the Sacred Flame. All he can do is convince his grannies to wait until the group of tourists has taken flight with their guide, Ifa.

“How do we look?” Amber poses proudly in her new outfit with her fists on her hips. She wears a bright red Flower-Feather Clan outfit she just bought that very morning on Ifa’s recommendation. It characteristically shows a lot of skin, a detail that doesn’t escape Eula’s wandering eyes, who nods approvingly at her girlfriend’s athletic body.

But everyone gasps when they see that Collei has opted to wear an equally skimpy outfit. Not because it exposes her way more than before, but because she has something new to show off.

Where her scale-like scars were before, she now has colorful drawings instead, the same phlogiston engravings used by the people of Natlan. But with motifs chosen by herself, in very different styles than the geometric shapes typical of Natlan. Each faded Eleazar scale is surrounded and cleverly incorporated in stylized drawings of various animals, like little guardians of her past. A pair of foxes here, a red rabbit there, a little menagerie of colors where her scaly gray scars were before.

And up just below the nape of her neck, between her shoulders that she allows for the first time to stay bare in public, she has a drawing of a little ocelot with large wings covering her shoulder blades.

“Wow.” Ororon’s breath is cut short. He knew Collei was pretty, smart and strong, but to see her show off this way makes him almost proud, and so glad he followed his heart and courted her. Or maybe it was the other way around: Collei was the one who seduced him all along…

Both Amber and Diona are raving about her new tattoos, and Collei appears split between acting bashful and proud. But what she doesn’t do is hide herself.

There is however one person who is not so happy about this new development.

Eula sighs in her breath, “How am I going to explain this to her parents? We came here on vacation, and their girl comes back with a boyfriend and a collection of tattoos on her body? Oh Barbatos…”

Amber’s girlfriend’s sense tingle as she perceives Eula’s anguish… and she discreetly goes to comfort her, “It’ll be fine, Chérie. I’ll take responsibility, don’t worry!”

“Are you sure you can look Tighnari and Cyno in the eye and explain why you allowed Collei to get a tattoo in their absence?”

Amber takes a pause, suddenly mute.

The imagined scene seems to shake Amber a tad, and for a moment her face turns ever slightly paler, “Hmmm… Ah shoot, we’ll just have to see when we get there, no use stressing about something like that now! What’s done is done, and Collei looks so happy!”

Eula looks behind Amber and nods. Collei is radiant right now. She is talking with Ororon and showing a very excited Diona all the new drawings on her skin. Her smile is worth a thousand scolding from her parents, no doubt.

Finally the time for good byes comes.

“Ororon, we’re going!” Citlali calls him from afar, as she waits with her wife for their grandson to join them on their way to the Stadium.

“Collei?” All a sudden he turns meek, already feeling torn with the idea of parting with Collei.

But she walks to him with confidence, takes his face in her hands, and makes him lean down for a gentle kiss.

“See you at the festival!” she whispers.

“I’ll save you a dance,” Ororon replies, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.

And off he goes with a dumb smile plastered on his face, soon disappearing with his grandmothers towards his own journey.

As soon as he’s out sight though, Collei starts to shake.

“Collei?” Amber inquires, worried that she could be crying already. But what she sees are not tears, but a face reddening by the second.

“Aaaaah that was so embarrassing, why did I do that!”

Amber pats her back, relieved to see her little sister back to her aversion to what she sometimes calls cringe. She might have grown, but she remains her little Collei. A much more confident Collei, who is ready to spread out her wing in her new world.

Not too far from there, Ifa looks on with his arms crossed and a smirk as he wait patiently for his guests to be ready.

“He is so infatuated that he didn’t say good bye to his bro… Well partner, we’ve got some new interesting gossip to send Varesa’s way!”

“No way bro!”

Eula and Diona go their own way as well, which leave Ifa with Amber and Collei, both raring to go and excited to finally take flight to reach the sky dancing tribe!

Chapter Text

Up, up they go, brought up higher and higher in the sky by the burning vents spewing hot winds from the depths of Natlan. Ifa takes the lead up ahead, but Amber and Collei both follow with ease with their wind gliders.

“You’re both pretty good!” He shouts, “Right Cacucu?”

“Oh dear! Oh dear!”

“Hahahaha finally! It feels so good to fly so fast!”

Amber is already twirling and rolling in the air, looking around excitedly as they climb along the mountainous cliffs. Just behind her, a bit slower but not by far, Collei takes a more direct line to keep up with their guide and take in the beautiful sights of Natlan from up top.

“It’s very hot… but it’s fine, I can endure! It’s just so good to fly like this!”

Not undeterred by the speed of their ascent, Collei smiles proudly. Flying around with Amber has always been something special to her, ever since Amber flew away with her from the Knights of Favonius’ tower. That was so many years ago but also Collei’s first real taste of freedom, a moment she cherishes dearly ever since. One she did draw on her weaved tapestry the day before.

Happy laughs and light feelings bring the group closer to their destination in no time. Still, after the initial adrenaline boost, Amber calms down a little to adopt a more refined way of flying. She returns to her Outrider habits of scanning the surroundings, noting a scout tower there, a few caves along the cliffs, a school of Iktomisaurs that way, a familiar-looking waterfall here. Her mind quickly moves on to new points of interest along the way.

One particular thing that occupies her mind though is how Ifa can fly with Cacucu. Surely the little bird’s wings can’t provide enough lift? Judging by Ifa’s glowing aura, he must be using this special power that most Natlanese warriors seem to possess. But then, if he can fly using his anemo powers, just like Chasca seemed to do as well… why the need for Cacucu? His little fluttering wings are cute and all, and he seems very serious about carrying his friend Ifa. But if what Amber thinks is true, he is not really contributing to the flight itself. She knows he was injured, and Ifa brought him back to health. So maybe he can’t actually carry much, beyond flying by himself?

Amber feels a little pang of pain while thinking of the little saurian bird’s situation.

“Amber, look! We’re almost there!” Collei calls out to her excitedly when they finally fly over the mountaintop and see the delightful spectacle of a settlement built in the air, propped up by large balloons and seemingly floating like a cloud, barely anchored at the mountain. For a moment both girls observe with awe, and Ifa makes sure not to interrupt their first sight of his home. They may not be the most popular touristic destination in Natlan since coming here is somewhat complicated, but Ifa feels proud of the Flower-Feather Clan.

After the initial magical moment, the little group glides down gently towards a platform obviously designed for take offs and landings.

“Follow the signals from the air port master over there!” Ifa shouts at the two, taking the lead to show them the appropriate approach to land.

The wooden platforms creak under their weight of their feet when they finally arrive, a bright smile on their faces. They salute the air port master who guided them, then Amber and Collei carefully store their wind gliders and take off their goggles as they walk towards the center of the settlement behind Ifa.

“It’s so beautiful!” Amber says, already running around to explore the floating city.

Ifa chuckles, “Interesting that you say that, people usually think our art style is rather crude compared to the other tribes – especially with the Masters of the Night-Wind nearby.”

“How come?” Collei frowns, “I like how well you use the woodwork to your advantage. Even without much paints, the carvings look very good! And the balloon’s colors and patterns are very pretty.”

Amber nods, “Listen to her, she knows what she’s talking about since Collei lives and studies in Sumeru, a land of fine arts and close to nature!”

Their little chitchat continues until Ifa finally brings them to their Chief, Mutota. And that’s where he bids them goodbye: he has work to do at his clinic, he says, before leaving in a hurry. Both Amber and Collei are a bit sad to see him go, as well as the little saurian who they’ve come to like very much in the short time they’ve flown together. Maybe they’ll be able to visit Ifa’s clinic later on?

Since they arrived ahead of Eula and Diona this time, it is their role to check in with chief Mutota about their arrival. Amber lets Collei do the talking this time, seeing her quite eager to contribute to their travel’s plan. As Collei talks with Mutota, Amber can’t help but feel pride in seeing her protégée being so proactive. And she’s also very interested in the Chief’s attire… those eccentric flying goggles of his look very nice…

They finish quickly and start making their way towards the hotel for travelers, but they get stopped by a group of young men barring their path.

“Hello ladies! We couldn’t help but notice how gracefully you flew here! Are you from outside of Natlan?”

“Yeah, for people born outside you are very pretty!”

“Come on, how about a drink with us? We’re Qucusaur Riders ourselves, I’m sure we can share some great stories!”

The men are quite insistent, reminding Collei of what happened on the beach during their stay at the People of the Springs. But although they make her uncomfortable, she doesn’t think she needs to worry too much about them. No need for a Mualani in shining swimsuit to save them.

“No thanks, we’re just on our way to the hotel,” she says while crossing her arms.

“Oh come on, you can come with us afterwards, right? We’ll just wait for you and…”

“Sorry,” Collei raises her voices, “But I have a b-boyfriend.” Her first time using this novel-worthy quip doesn’t come out quite as naturally as she hoped, but it does feel pretty good to say it.

The young men hesitate for a second, before turning their attention towards Amber when they see how serious Collei looks.

“What about you, miss? You don’t have a boyfriend, right?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, no,” Amber says with a polite smile, “But –”

She stops talking and her smile soon transforms into a genuine one, melting the heart of all the boys in front of her.

“Oh… oh good! Then how about a drink at –”

The poor lad can’t finish his sentence as he gets shoved to the side by an ice wall of a woman, who walks right through them and grabs Amber’s shoulder very possessively.

“Are these boys bothering you, Darling?” Eula says with ice in her breath. The intonations leave no room for doubt as to their relationship.

The boys shiver and shrivel, slowly backing away when they realize their mistake.

Amber gives them enough time to retreat, before turning around and hugging her girlfriend, “No we were fine, but I’m glad you came anyway, hehe!”

“Good,” Eula relaxes into Amber’s arms and sighs in relief, “Otherwise Diona over there might have shot a fool or two.”

“Diona!” Collei calls. And out comes the cat girl from behind a wooden box, her bow at the ready.

“Don’t worry Collei, Amber, I’ve got your backs!” Diona says proudly, eliciting a chuckle from the group.

A mere interruption, quickly forgotten as the group finally gets back together!

Since Collei took charge for the check in, her guardians let her guide them to the hotel. The walk is pretty short to reach their destination which turns out to be a recently built house, floating high in the air with its own balloon above it. Accessible by a sturdy ladder – or by qucusaur assistants for people with reduced mobility – the hotel is quite different from the previous places they slept in: while the previous ones had been the usual shared rooms with a few bunk beds on one main ground floor, this one is built vertically: most of the beds are high along the walls, reachable by their own set of ladders. Of course each “floor” is equipped with nets to break any kind of fall, adding another layer of playful places to jump on. More impressively, each bed has a large window next to it, behind a large flap of fabric, from which the lucky people occupying them can look out and admire the region from a high vantage point. Falling asleep or waking up to see Ochkanatlan or the vast seas surrounding the region is sure to awestruck all travelers!

Eula prefers to stay close to the floor for practical reasons, but Amber, Collei and Diona of course all decide to take beds at the very top.

“So,” Diona says as she lazily lays on the net in the middle of her floor, “What next? I’m hungry!”

Amber nods vehemently, but Eula has another suggestion before they go find a restaurant.

“Didn’t you want to participate in that flying competition? You should go get registered, no?”

“Oh, I’m already registered!” Amber replies with a victory sign with her fingers.

“Did you?” Eula and Collei reply at the same time.

Eula looks confused, “I thought you’d registered with Collei while waiting for us?”

“No, we didn’t?” Collei tilts her head, and all eyes turn back to Amber.

Diona giggles, “Hey Amber, were you so excited that you dreamed you registered?”

“No, no, you don’t understand, I already registered way in advance. To be precise, I’ve registered to all the flying competitions even before we left Mondstadt.”

“You what??”

“I wasn’t sure when we’d reach the Flower-Feather Clan! I couldn’t let the opportunity slip by just because I would arrive too late to register or something!”

Eula and Collei both face palmed.

“Really Amber? You reserved a spot in every one of those, what – weekly – competitions?”

“Well yeah? They even sent me a VIP pass since I spent so much mora on –”

“How much more did you waste??” Eula’s eyes grow bigger. Amber and her may not be leaving together officially – yet – and so their budgets are strictly separate, but if they are to marry… Eula will have to make sure to teach Amber about proper budgeting. Starting with avoiding spending money so brainlessly.

“It’s fine, it wasn’t that expensive, they even gave me a discount! Haha!”

“… I’ve had enough, let’s go eat before my bunny says something truly aggravating,” Eula shakes her head and walks out. The other three laugh but follow her quickly, urged by their own growing hunger.

On the way to the city center, they look around hungrily at the various stalls and pubs lining the walkways. Natlan’s gastronomy may not be well known worldwide due to only having recently opened up to the rest of Teyvat, but the smell of grilled meat and oily, fragrant juices makes all their stomachs growl. Just when they are about to choose a place, someone walks towards them with fast steps.

“Oh, there you are!” Chasca just saw them when she was coming back from patrol and decided to come for a talk, “Getting ready to eat?”

“Uhu!” Collei nods happily. Seeing the first person who came at her rescue after their accident a few days prior brings a smile to her face.

“Then, what do you say about eating together? I can show you a nice spot with a great view.”

“Uh, but we were about to sit down…” Amber replies, apologetically.

“Oh. What about, um, ordering something to-go? If you want, of course, I don’t want to impose,” Chasca replies with almost a stutter. Despite her being one of the best riders of the tribe and her obvious confidence in revolving dire conflicts, she seems a bit more awkward in more normal situations.

The four tourists give each other a quick look and soon nod in unison.

“Of course! Let’s go! What do you recommend with buy?” Amber asks.

“There we are. There’s a lot of space so don’t hesitate to sit anywhere.”

The location Chasca led them to is a little grass field above the settlement, very close to the summit of the mountain to which all the platforms are anchored. The line of sight from there extends in all directions, way further than from below: they can see the Stadium of the Sacred Flame, and even further East the Sumeru Desert as well as Fontaine’s high cliffs to the North East. The shape of Nod-Krai’s coasts barely appear through the dense fog surrounding it.

But the most striking sight is actually on the other side, to the West, which Chasca points to. Contrary to what everyone first think, she doesn’t point at the open seas. She points at something high in the sky.

When Amber and Diona first see it, they both gasp in surprise. Collei and Eula soon follow, gawking at what appears to be… a tear in the sky? The atmosphere’s density hides what’s behind quite well with a blue hue, but they can see what appears to be fragments of rocks, or something that looks like a moon beyond the hole.

“This,” Chasca says theatrically, “Is a remnant of the Pyro Archon’s fight against Gosoythoth. The Lord of Eroded Primal Fire that she and Tumaini defeated, sounding the end of the War.”

“Wooow…” Diona stares for a while, but her appetite quickly replaces her curiosity. And then she throws one of her usual, direct questions, “Nom nom… Say Chasca, did you also fight in the War?”

Eula takes a long breath and hold it, not willing to shut down Diona, seeing as Chasca doesn’t seem to take it the wrong way.

“I did, of course. I am one of the Heroes of Natlan after all.”

“Oh, I heard about you!” Collei suddenly spurts out, throwing a cloud of crumbs in front of her, “Oh, uh, sorry… I mean, what is your ancient name, if I may?”

“I am Vuka. It means Transcension.”

“Trans-what?” Amber asks with a cute tilt of her head.

“Transcension,” Eula says, “It means to transcend, to pass beyond the limits of something.” She turns towards Chasca, and give her a meaningful look. Surely this name must mean much more to her than just a dictionary definition, but maybe now is not the time to pry.

Chasca nods, subtly appreciating Eula’s attention, “That’s right. And Ororon’s name is…”

“Bidii!” Collei interjects again with a beaming smile, “It means Devotion!” Her cute little outburst gather all eyes on her, and knowing smiles all around. “Oh…” the sudden attention brings a blush to her face.

Chasca laughs, “So I take it things are going well with him? I’m glad my friend found someone like you. He may be a bit weird, but he’s a good man.”

This time it’s Diona who giggles, “Ifa said the same thing! Haha!”

“D-Did he now?” The proud woman suddenly turns meek for an instant. Amber’s sharp eyes do not miss the little blush on Chasca’s face.

“Oh? Ohoho? Is there a story there? Come on you can tell us, the wind won’t tell!”

Although Eula and Collei wouldn’t dare dig into Chasca’s relationship as they barely came to know her, they are quite curious. Ifa left a good impression on them, and Chasca as well, so to have both of them together would make for fine gossip.

“No, we’re not together… anymore.”

“Oh.”

A cold wind descends on the party, and for a while all they hear is the awkward breeze and the sound of chewing.

Chasca suddenly realizes a bit late that the conversation may have died because of her answer, “Oh but don’t worry, we’re we’re still friends. He helped me through rough times after the War, and we gradually gravitated towards each other. I’m grateful to him, and we did have a good time together. We just realized after some time that we didn’t feel like we could live together for long. We still see each other though… as good friends.”

The tension breaks, and everyone lets out a silent sigh of relief. With more relaxed intentions, the group asks more questions about what they saw as a very promising couple. Chasca explains without going in too much details that the War took a lot from her. Even Diona doesn’t pry at this point too much, thankfully. What everyone is interested in is her little love story with Ifa. They knew each other for a long time of course, but they became closer when Chasca had to get his expertise when her Qucusaur sister became ill.

Skipping about the part about having been brought up by a family of saurians may not have been the smartest move for Chasca… But it leaves the listeners stunned, very interested, and eager to ask for more. So once again Chasca recounts the story of her childhood as the sun slowly dives over the horizon. The food becomes cold, but their hearts warm up hearing Chasca’s atypical story.

“You know, it sounds a bit like Razor, no?” Amber says after swallowing her last bite.

“I guess so,” Eula muses, “But Miss Chasca sounds perfectly integrated to her tribe. Razor may be learning a lot thanks to Lisa, but his mastery of language is still lacking.”

Diona leans towards Chasca as the others discuss their Lupical friend from back home, “Razor was brought up by a pack of wolves! He’s a bit scary at first, but he’s a great hunter!”

“I see,” Chasca replies with a smile.

She hadn’t been mistaken: those four people who wear vision have a very distant anemo aura that reminded her of Tumaini. She knows the Hero of Natlan visited Mondstadt a long time ago, and that would explain how these people obviously have met Tumaini. All the better: strong companions with visions are needed for Mavuika’s plan.

Of course she keeps that last part for herself.

“Good night Chasca, that was fun! And, also… see you at the flying competition! Let’s see who flies best!” Amber doesn’t forget her goal, already taunting the one who appears to be one of the best contestants.

Chasca tips her hat respectfully, “Thank you miss Amber, but… how are you going to fly?”

“Hm? With my wind glider, what else?”

“Can’t you only glide down with it?”

“Oh that’s a common misconception! Especially around here, there are plenty of up-currents to keep my altitude from dropping!”

“But that’s not a… Oh. Oh no.” Chasca stops mid-sentence with an ominous look in her eyes.

Amber flinches. Is something wrong?

“Miss Amber,” Chasca starts slowly, “You do know you need a mount to participate in the race, right? Either something like my gun, or more typically a Qucusaur. I’m afraid a wind glider doesn’t qualify.”

“… What?”

Blood draws out of Amber’s face and Eula has to keep her from tumbling over.

“I… I can’t fly?”

Chapter Text

Chasca looks with worry at Amber who just dropped her head down and mumbles something inaudible. No doubt the news that she can not participate in the flying competition without a proper mount is going to crush her spirit. The poor girl is looking down at the floor, about to burst into tears. Her companions are keeping their distance, maybe to let her digest the news.

Chasca hesitates. She was never good at comforting her own sister when she used to be in a slump like this, let alone a stranger from the other side of the world. With an uneasy feeling she reaches out to pat Amber’s shoulder.

“That’s fine!” Amber shouts, “I’ll get one before the race tomorrow afternoon, just watch!” She clenches her fists above her head in a resolute stance of bravado.

“Here we go again…” Eula and Collei face palm, while Diona giggles and claps, already supporting Amber in whatever crazy idea she will cook to participate in the race. All the while Chasca closes her hand and retracts it slowly, unsure if her pity or help is even needed at this point.

Just when she thinks that, Amber suddenly turns towards her with sparkles in her eyes. She takes Chasca’s hands in hers and gets closer.

“My dear flying comrade, you who know the sky and the lands below like the palm of your hand! From what you told us –”

“Nope,” Chasca immediately puts a stop to Amber’s diatribe, “I know exactly what you are going to ask, and no, that’s not possible. Both Mama-bird and my Sis-bird are too wild to allow anyone else but myself to ride on their backs. You do know Qucusaurs need to be raised and trained from a young age to be used as mounts, right? Ideally as soon as they hatch even, to imprint on their future guardian. Changing their behavior for a total stranger isn’t something that can be done overnight.”

“Oh…” Amber’s bunny-eared headband visibly shrivel… before twitching back up, “Then! How about –”

“Nope. I don’t have any spare guns. My Soulsniper is custom-made, and any other member of my clan with something similar will never lend them to you in a million years. Besides, coupled with my nightsoul this gives me an advantage, so I have to compete with a handicap to keep things fair with the other competitors on qucusaur mounts.”

Amber grumbles, but immediately smiles again after thinking of yet another genius plan no doubt. Her undeterred attitude surprises even Chasca. Where does she get her optimism and energy? A look at her friends is enough to confirm that this is not exactly a new occurrence.

“Alright, hear me out,” Chasca finally says, “Your best bet is to go around the Qucusaur stables and ask around. Chances are slim that they have any spare qucusaurs left, but it won’t hurt to try.”

“Ooooh thank you Chasca, I knew I could count on you!” Amber happily thanks her, and even gives her another one of her trademark bear hugs. Chasca remains unsure how to respond to such spontaneity, but when she meets Eula’s apologetic glance, she nods and pats the bouncy bunny girl on the back.

With the night already fallen and the whole city about to go to sleep, everyone gets to their bed in the hostel. Of course Amber is barely able to sleep at all at first, but thanks to Eula who joins her in her bed and smothers her in her cryo embrace, she soon calms down enough to finally fall asleep. Probably a bit overkill of Eula to use her elemental powers to calm Amber’s heated mind, but she doesn’t want to see her future wife toss and turn for the whole night when the next day is so important for her.

The sun is not yet peeking above the horizon that Amber is already wide awake, quickly washed and dressed for the day. Her excitement might have been contagious, because both Collei and Diona are also up early and ready to go, to follow the Outrider in her race against time to find a mount before the middle of the afternoon at which point it will be too late to confirm her registration and participate.

Eula waves them goodbye sleepily from her bed. She may be rooting with all her heart for her girlfriend, but a good restorative sleep is imperative to maintain her own sanity and health.

The other three quickly move out of the lodging to plan their outing. Amber leads them by sight and instinct, half walking half running through the suspended paths of the Flower-Feather Clan. Out of nowhere, probably following some peculiar noises or smell, she finds a first saurian stable, but there are no Qucusaurs there. Undeterred, she continues touring the whole place, with Collei writing down every place they pass by. Her notepad soon fills with a list of crossed-out locations, places to avoid coming back to – which Amber is perfectly capable of doing in her overexcitement – and also a list of places to try thanks to the suggestion of the amused stables owners.

Diona is just going along for the ride at this point. Seeing her friends – nearly big sisters – so dedicated and focused is very fun for her. Plus, every time they stop at a stall or a stable, the owners give her a few samples to try out their delicacies. A fun new day with good food and no plan: perfect!

Of course running around so brazenly is bound to bring a few encounters, good and bad. Amber does bump into a few sinister-looking Natlanese people, but seeing the group of young girls so energetically sprinting make them shrug and smile. A bit of lively atmosphere doesn’t hurt, surely.

Eventually Amber does bump into someone more roughly than expected after turning around a corner a bit too quick. A young man, obviously not from Natlan based on his clothes, falls on the ground from the impact.

“Ouch…” he mumbles weakly, but somehow it doesn’t seem like he got actually hurt, just surprised.

“Fréminet! Are you okay?” Another young girl, who also wears a peculiar Fontainian attire helps the young man up.

“Oh I am so sorry!” Amber helps Fréminet as well, and before long she joins her hands in apology, “Sorry! I’m running around looking for a Qucusaur, and I’m almost out of time for the race!”

“Oho?” After making sure her friend is fine and giving him a peck on the cheek as reassurance, the woman turns her attention back to Amber. “One of the rare outlanders who dares challenge the Sky People of Natlan on their own turf? Now I’m interested! Frémi, can you give me my notepad, please?”

“Oh, yes,” the young man rummages through his cute penguin-shaped bag and takes out a pen and paper.

“Ehem,” the woman clears her throat, “As an apology, how about a brief interview before you get back to your search? My name is Charlotte, Reporter extraordinaire at the Steambird! Perhaps you’ve seen my name on a few articles? Like the last bribery bust of the Mafia rings between Fontaine and Nod-Krai? That one got front page treatment, a particularly juicy piece of news if I say so myself!”

Amber and Collei look at each other for a moment. To meet someone who talks so fast is not so common, although they do remember that other pyro girl from Inazuma who also seemed to speak at length.

Before long Charlotte wraps them into discussing their reasons for flying in the race. Amber, of course, doesn’t hold back about boasting her rank of Gliding Champion of Mondstadt and her urge to fly in every sky in Teyvat. Collei nods along, putting in a few more words of praises for Amber.

All the while, Fréminet and Diona chose to sit back and watch the whole interaction. The young man’s soothing attitude is somehow comforting for Diona, who shares with him the bounty of snacks she collected along the way.

But after a while Fréminet gets up and gently wraps an arm around Charlotte’s waist and puts his chin on her shoulder.

“Charlotte, we are on vacation remember? What did we agree on before coming here?”

She sighs, leaning back into his embrace, “That I wouldn’t try to work unless for specific events we’d agreed on. I get it, I get it… You didn’t have to take Mister Vérité hostage for me to comply, you know?”

“That’s because I know you,” he says with a peck on her cheek, “Now how about letting these ladies go? They did say they were in a hurry.”

Amber suddenly flinches, as though remembering her whole race to find a Qucusaur, “Oh shoot, you’re right! Sorry, gotta go!”

Before she can run away again, Collei grabs Amber’s arm. “Wait Amber. Miss Charlotte, Mister Fréminet, we are looking for Qucusaur mount. Did you see any stable with some available on your way here?”

Charlotte and her boyfriend frown, and it is actually Fréminet who replies.

“No. But I did hear about a saurian clinic where they bring all kinds of injured saurians or other small animals.”

Charlotte nods along, “Right! That’s where Fréminet brought one of those injured penguins he found near a hot source! Maybe you girls can find yourself a qucusaur with superficial injuries or that just got healed?”

The idea sounds more promising than running around aimlessly. Plus, a vet clinic might have more general information about the available stables.

“Good luck then,” Charlotte says, “Oh! And if you win the race, please reserve your first interview with me! Ehe!” She gives a side glance to Fréminet who sighs and nods.

“Sure! Thanks and see you around guys! Come on Collei, Diona! It’s almost noon, we have to hurry!”

Another sprint leads them in the outskirts of the settlement, back on ground floor this time. It feels good to run on the ground for a change, and before long they find the large clinic, very hard to miss with the weird drawings on all the fences. The small building is surrounded by several fenced areas each with a number of animals and saurians.

From behind them a familiar voice calls out.

“Well, what would you know? Fancy meeting you here again. Did you perhaps find an injured saurian to bring to my care?”

“Ifa!” Diona shouts loudly. The many animals in the building and around toss and whimper in a flurry of feathers and fur, agitated by the sudden outburst. “Oh, sorry!”

“For real? Do you even hear yourself, bro?” Cacucu flutters around Dioana with an angry look.

“It’s fine, the ones who need rest are in the side room,” he says with a gentle smile, patting his little flying friend’s head to calm him down. “So, what bring you here?”

“Mister Ifa, do you have any Qucusaur I could use as mount for this afternoon’s race?” Amber gets straight to the point.

“You do realize this is a vet clinic? As in, for unhealthy beasts?”

“Yes, but every stable I went to had no more Qucusaurs available! I’m looking for an alternative…”

Ifa scratches his head, but his expression doesn’t look promising. “Sorry kiddo, but all the adult qucusaurs that could be used as mount are not in a state to fly. You will need to keep looking around… or give up this particular race.”

“No way!” Amber retorts, almost outraged at the idea.

“No way, bro!” Cacucu repeats mechanically.

Amber look at the little red bird flying around Ifa for a little while. Until her eyes open wider.

“Then… what about this one? Cacucu is a qucusaur, right?”

Ifa is taken aback by the suggestion. That little bird, injured and small, who most people would only consider a bird or a pet, how could anyone suggest to use him as a mount for a race?

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he says.

“The heck are you talking about?” Cacucu adds, floating in front of Amber in what appears to be an actual interest in her suggestion.

“See? How about it Cacucu? Do you want to fly with me in the race?”

Amber’s question seems to trouble the little qucusaur, all he can say is “Oh dear, oh dear,” leaving the rest of the group guessing at what he is thinking.

But Ifa doesn’t look happy, and he brings Amber to the side for a private and serious talk.

“Listen miss Amber, I’m glad to see you’re liking my little buddy, but you must realize he can’t really carry anything more than his own weight. There is no way he can fly with you.”

Amber scrutinizes Ifa’s expression. He is speaking the truth, but more importantly he looks concerned, worried for his little friend’s well-being.

“I figured it was something like that. So all that flying around with him is just for show?” Amber retorts much more glacial than she thought.

“He’s loved flying with me as if carrying me around since I rescued him. I’ve used my anemo powers to fly with him to make it seem like he is the one doing the heavy lifting, so to speak… but he can’t be used as a mount like the others.” He sneaks a glance as Cacucu, who stayed with Diona and Collei. Then he whispers, “Due to his health issues, he’s not going to grow much larger. So there is no way he can become like the other Qucusaurs. That’s one of the reasons I tried to convince him to become my vet assistant of sort. To keep him away from an unachievable dream.”

It is as expected, or probably even more sad than Amber anticipated.

“We won’t know until we try!” Amber finally straighten her back and stares back at Ifa, “Let me ask him if he wants to fly with me today for the race. And you should abide by his wish!”

“Look, I…” Ifa hesitates. Of course he wants to see his little friend flying happily, but the disappointment of not making it to the race? That would be crushing for the little bird.

“Let him decide what he wants,” she insists, “You can’t be brave if you are always running away from the possibility of failure. And if we can’t fly together, I’ll take responsibility.”

Amber’s resolute fire ends up winning him over.

“Only if he agrees, then,” Ifa finally says, “And if he does agree, I want you to promise not to toy with his heart. Be a good ‘bro’ to him, basically. Or ‘gal’ I guess.”

Back to the main group, Amber doesn’t waste time to ask Cacucu to join her for the race. At some point she forgot she wanted an adult qucusaur as a mount. Her choice of asking Cacucu is not a last resort, but one she feels deep inside. He reminds her of her favorite story about how the birds learned to fly, her favorite bedside story. This has to be a sign!

Surprising almost everyone, Cacucu quickly agrees.

“Okay bro! Sure bro!” he flies around Amber excitedly, losing a few feathers in his excitement.

Ifa is dumbfounded. He wasn’t expecting Cacucu to agree so readily… to the point that he starts wondering if he had been too overprotective this whole time.

“Perfect! Let’s go confirm my registration and then let’s get training, Cacucu! We need to get used to each other for the race!”

Collei sighs, “Don’t forget to eat lunch Amber. You know how bad skipping a meal can be before a big event like a flying competition.”

“Oh, we’ll bring you snacks!” Diona offers – for both Amber and Cacucu.

“It’s settled then! Come on Cacucu!”

The unexpected duo runs and flies away back to the center of the settlement to officially register. Soon after they disappear to a more secluded place to train and get to know each other better. Only a few hours remain before the start of the race, will they be able to work properly as a team?

Collei has her doubts, but she knows both Amber and Cacucu are now fully committed to their preparations. Best thing to do is support them best she can.

Chapter Text

“Welcome everyone to the final Flying Race of the Flower Feather Clan! The last one before the grand music Festival at the Stadium!”

Chief Mutota shouts from a crow’s nest atop a tall pillar overlooking an overheated crowd who cheers fervently for the contestants. The dozen or so competitors wave nervously at the crowd, patting their Qucusaur mounts to calm their nerves or praying to their Archon for a fair race.

The Chief doubles as the referee for the competition, but a surprise guest has joined him up there to help with the commentary.

“Let’s get to know our contestants, everyone!” Charlotte excitedly starts commentating, speaking to a little penguin plush that effortlessly increases the volume of her voice. She describes every racer one after the other, thanks to her discreet yet thorough interviews just a few hours before. All despite Freminet’s best efforts to force her to take a break on their vacation.

She starts with the local names to get the crowd going:

“Your very own Lliwa, a trainee who improved by leaps and bounds recently!”

“Xican, coach of many, as harsh in teaching as in competition!”

The crowd cheers for their familiar contestants, but they become quietly curious when comes the time to present outlanders.

“Mademoiselle Lepine-Pauline from Fontaine, riding her very own ‘Pistolet’ which looks like a very interesting imitation of Lady Chasca’s own gun!”

“Miss Dandy from Liyue’s adventurer’s guild! She specializes in dangerous activities, so riding a flying saurian surely is right up her alley!”

“Miss Amber Lawrence, talented wind-glider Champion from the distant land of Anemo! Riding, with um, a baby Qucusaur?”

Lost in the crowd with Collei and Diona close by, Eula coughs when she hears the name under which Amber registered. She scowls at her girlfriend for using her name so freely when they have barely promised each other – and still unofficially at that – but seeing her cute beaming girlfriend so excited makes her silently write it down mentally instead in her list of revenges.

The crowd chatter among themselves when they recognize that the little flying saurian perched on Amber’s head is none other than Cacucu, Ifa’s usual sidekick. Despite the rumors and mumbling spreading around, Amber waves energetically towards the audience, enrapturing them with her bright, happy smile. Quite a few spectators blush, others are taken by her endearing enthusiasm even though they know her mount is not going to help her a lot for this race. “What a pity…” some of them even say.

To end the presentations, Charlotte calls out the last contestant, though not the least.

“Aaaand… Lady Chasca, of course, the reigning Champion of this regular flying competition!” Her call is drowned out by massive cheers of admiration from Chasca’s usual fans, some of them even dressed like her with similar hats, others with with banners of her riding her giant gun. Chasca herself just nods, rubbing the barrel of her gun with a cloth for one final dusting off. The other competitors clap politely, some of them wary, the others focused. It is likely that she is going to win again despite the important handicaps she has from using her custom gun. Consequently most of them will be happy to get second place.

Amber and Cacucu however look pumped and ready to go, puffing their chests in defiance as though they have any chance of winning at all despite their last minute team-up. The Outrider’s competitor’s spirit is fired up, and so is her little companion who can’t stop flapping his wings to finally start the race!

Diona cheers loudly on top of the tallest person she could find: Ifa. The vet tries to stay upright, but her little kicks of excitement make him unsteady. Not that he minds, since he always loved children – humans or saurians alike.

“Diona, calm down a little!” Collei calls out, adding to her request a handful of snacks which the little cat girl snags happily.

Collei sighs but is relieved to see Diona so excited. Eula on the other hand is so nervous that she looks about to faint. Collei discreetly takes Eula’s hand and gives it a squeeze.

“She’ll be fine,” Collei says reassuringly. Eula shuts her eyes, takes a deep breath, then nods.

“You’re right, it’s just a race. No harm to come to her, surely.” She mumbles more to herself than to answer Collei.

“Okay ladies it’s about to begin, how about cheering for your friend louder?” Ifa suggests when the participants finally take position on the starting line.

The shot fired by Mutota to signify the beginning of the race is drowned by the roaring crowd as the racers take off at once from the platform. They all soar through the air towards the first checkpoint: a large wooden circle floating in the air thanks to small hot air balloons quite a distance away in the direction of Ochkanatlan.

“All participants have started very fast, most of them are already a quarter of the way towards the first checkpoint!” Charlotte shouts excitedly, looking out through a spyglass instead of her usual monocle. “All participants but one: miss Amber who took off rather slowly. With her wind glider out and the little qucusaur holding her shoulders, it’s not clear who does the flying right now!”

A few people laugh in the crowd, a mix of pity and mockery at the obvious person who is going to end up last place.

“Meanwhile, at the front Miss Chasca is of course the first one to… oh wait no, someone else went through the checkpoint before her! Another gun riding lady? My word, it’s my countrywoman Miss Lepine-Pauline!”

A growl of surprise spread through the audience, but it is soon replace by a sudden gasp when they hear a sudden explosion.

“Oh… looks like Miss Lepine-Pauline gun exploded from overheating… Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to use up all your fuel at once! The security team is already on the way to make sure her fall isn’t too hard!”

A few people clap for the effort, but the rest are happy to see the first person disqualified, one less person to compete with their favorite.

The next checkpoint is at the top of the mountain right above the Flower-Feather Clan, right above where the spectators are amassed.

“Miss Chasca is first by a breath, but her competitors have started attacking her!” Charlotte shouts once again.

Eula gasps, “Attacking? What??”

She looks in horror as three Qucusaur riders team-up to ambush Chasca with a triple fireball attack from their mount. The gunrider avoids them all, but her evasive maneuvers makes her lose a considerable amount of her meager advance.

“What is this race??” Eula shouts, looking back at Ifa for an explanation.

“It’s a battle race? Did you not read the notice?” Ifa says with a tilt of his head.

Diona giggles, “Eula you didn’t read it? Just like Amber!”

Collei on the other hand keeps her eyes on her favorite Outrider, who just passed the first checkpoint. Her sharp eyes see something in the trajectory that feels weird. Like Amber and Cacucu are actually slowly gaining speed as the race goes on. By this point, their speed is basically the same as the other riders. But given how far behind they are, none of the commentators seem to have noticed.

“And that’s one more opponent dispatched by Miss Chasca’s Peacemaker!” Charlotte shouts to the joyful applauds of the crowd as a flaming mount falls down from the sky, soon retrieved by the crew of reactive helpers.

Chief Mutota leans over to Charlotte’s penguin, “For everyone new to the race: every contestant has been given an artifact to protect from direct harm. And just for the sake of clarity, if their shield is depleted they are disqualified to prevent endangering them.”

The racers’ path makes them pass right next to the spectators, a great moment to cheer for them.

The group in front flies past quickly, with Chasca still battling against the other racers in a one vs many fight which she is used to.

The crowd shouts and claps, some take pictures, but once the racers are all gone they calm down.

Until…

A red colored blur rushes through the same path, at a much higher speed than the previous competitors.

Charlotte almost chokes from the surprise, “What was that?!”

Wide eyed, everyone finally recognize the last place racer they all forgot.

“It’s Amber!” Diona and Collei shout happily, throwing their hands in the air.

“Watch out people! It looks like our dark horse – or should I say red rabbit? – is not out of the race yet! How are they going so fast? It looks like they are going to rejoin the main group in no time!”

“Ooooh, that’s what’s happening,” Ifa says, unable to hide his own surprise.

“What?? What is Amber doing??” Eula urges him to explain.

“Well you know that Qucusaurs are pyro creatures, right? And I didn’t take into account that your friend has a pyro vision. You do know what happens when two people with the same elemental power team up seriously, right?”

Diona shouts after remembering her magic lessons from Lisa, “An elemental resonance!”

And indeed, Amber and Cacucu’s secret weapon is their elemental compatibility. By cleverly melding their powers together, the two of them manage to momentarily summon a greater power than any one of them could ever muster alone. Although such a feat requires a great deal of trust between partners to work. Finding out how to focus their energies took a while especially with so little time to train together. But once they were in the air they quickly learned and improved bit by bit.

“Let’s go Cacucu! I knew you were the bravest of all!” Amber shouts happily.

“Oh dear! Oh dear!”

“Hahaha! Look how fast we’re going now that we’ve got the gist of it! Don’t worry I’ll find the best path through the wind, you focus on speed!”

Both racers are exhilarated to be able to fly so fast. Cacucu flaps its pyro-infused wings so quickly that a blazing trail follows behind them, and Amber keeps control of the extremely powerful but chaotic thrust with her expert handling of her wind glider. She weaves through the air with minute adjustments and clever detours towards the multiple pyro flares that provide a small elemental boost every time they pass through them.

The outsider team is gaining on the main group, with a few of the last racers finally realizing what is going on behind them.

“Alright Cacucu! Get ready for plan BB!” Amber shouts.

“Go, go!” Cacucu screams excitedly.

Three Natlanese racers finally fly away from the main group and decide to ambush Amber to prevent her from getting ideas.

“Let’s teach the noob a lesson,” one of them says with a smirk.

He breaks off suddenly and slows down quickly in an attempt to make Amber veer off path, while the other two hide behind him to prepare a fire shot.

Amber flies towards the man, a large smile on her goggled face, with her wind glider proudly deployed on her back.

“End of the line, little girl!… Uh? where’s the bird?”

All they hear is a shrilling “Go, go, Baron Bunny!” high above their heads, before they see something weird fall down on them. A little, red bunny plush, flailing around in the air as though dancing, which lands in the first racer’s arms.

“… Cute,” he manages to say.

BOOM

“Oh my! Our last contestant took out three opponents in one go!” Charlotte shouts, spreading excitement through the crowd.

“That’s Amber for ya!” Diona giggles, while Collei cheers and Eula bites her nails in fear of what danger could befall Amber now that she has entered the fray.

The commentary continues, “The main group is just ahead now, going towards the third checkpoint to the North, right in the direction of what locals have started calling the ‘broken sky’! Don’t forget to take pictures everyone!”

As Amber and Cacucu finally meet back with the main group, Chasca herself takes the opportunity to break off abruptly and distance herself from the other racers.

“A wise move from the reigning champion!”

Confused and disturbed by the arrival of a fierce opponent in the back and the departure of the champion in front, all the people in the group start to fight each other.

“And we’ve now got a battle royal! Miss Chasca’s victory is starting to take shape! But, oh my, where is miss Amber going?”

Instead of joining the main group, Amber and Cacucu seem to have plummeted to the ground.

“No! Amber!” Collei shouts, holding Eula’s trembling hand in her own.

But the Outrider and her brave companion are aiming for something else. Through elemental sight they have felt the imminent eruption of a pyro geyser. As soon as its hot air breaks through the surface both racers are thrown up high in the sky at an incredible speed, easily passing by the rest of the group – and more importantly distancing themselves from any attacks that could come from behind.

Their only serious opponents now is Chasca!

“Both Lady Chasca and Miss Amber have passed the third and last checkpoint!” Charlotte’s says excitedly, “On one side we have the reigning Champion on her custom-designed Peacemaker, a ridable gun – so powerful that she had to carry ballasts to weigh her down and make things fair for this race! A little handicap that is barely enough for the other contestants to keep up though! On the other side we have miss Amber and her Qucusaur companion which I just learned is called Cacucu. Through their impressive teamwork, the red rabbit duo has managed to get back from last place to duel with the champion for first place! Who is going to get first place??”

The crowd erupts in cheers, split in two camps cheering for their favorite rider.

“Gooooo Amber!” Diona and Collei scream as loud as they can, and even Eula clenches her fists, joining her voice to the cheers to wish for her lover’s victory.

Amber and Cacucu finally catch up with Chasca, whose speed has indeed capped up to her maximum. Slower than what Amber and Cacucu are capable of now… Only a minute of riding separate them from the finish line in front of the crowd, and all they have to do is find a way to get past Chasca to win.

“Let’s get this Cacucu! Plan BB!”

“Go, Go!”

Once again Cacucu launches off Amber’s shoulders with a burst of pyro from a flap of his wings, carrying a little inflatable doll in his claws. A two-pronged attack as Amber takes out her bow and prepares a few pyro arrows.

“Hmph, not bad for a first timer,” Chasca says with a tip of the hat.

Two pyro arrows shoot out, and a baron bunny falls from the sky on her, but Chasca remains unphased: after a quick scan of each target, she pulls the reins and her giant gun and shoots five precise elemental shots.

One explodes Baron Bunny before it has time to detonate, two discard an arrow each, one barely misses Cacucu, and the last one misses Amber completely, leaving both their shields unscathed.

“Oh my!” Charlotte shouts, “Miss Amber has used the confusion of the attack to propel herself forward! A decisive victory maybe for the first time contender??”

Amber rushes with her wind gliders, moving fast towards the finishing line. A sure victory, everyone is sure, but… she suddenly turns her head back.

“Cacucu!” She shouts, throwing an arm up to catch her partner.

But unbeknownst to her and the crowd the little Qucusaur has been caught by Chasca – a hostage of sorts. Quick thinking she lets out a volley of arrows, enough to make Chasca let go of her partner. But by the time Cacucu joins back up with Amber, Chasca has moved decisively towards the finishing line. Amber and Cacucu focus all their might to speed up, get back before it is too late, but…

“Victory goes to Lady Chasca!”

The crowd erupt in cheers, throwing hats and flowers in the air for the defending champion, once again victorious after an epic race.

Amber and Cacucu arrive just behind her, and contrary to Chasca who remains in the air for a victory parade, they instead fall to the ground and land roughly, panting and exhausted by the incredible effort they just produced. By the time the rest of the competitors pass the finish line, Amber is already wrapped in Eula’s painfully strong embrace.

“Don’t give me a scare like that again!” She repeats, patting Amber all over to check for injuries.

Collei and Diona shake their heads, but both of them are proud of Amber for the incredibly thrilling race. To come so close with so little time to prepare is an achievement in and of itself.

Cacucu himself is back in Ifa’s arms.

“Oh come on little buddy, you did great. Wait, are you crying?”

“No way bro!” Cacucu can’t hide the shake in his shrilling voice. Ifa chuckles, ruffling his little partner’s feathers to comfort him.

Despite her defeat, everyone in the Flower-Feather Clan gained a considerable respect for Amber. She could have won had she flown towards the finishing line by herself… but by going back for Cacucu, every Qucusaur rider recognized her as the real deal, true to Natlan’s motto.

“No one fights alone,” they nod approvingly.

Chapter Text

“Thanks for the clothes, Collei! I totally forgot them when I went to wash up, ehe!”

“Stop with that Amber, it’s embarrassing,” Eula admonishes her girlfriend while keeping a protective arm around her waist.

Collei simply nods, her face pink and unable to look at the two lovers finally coming back from their “bath.”

It was indeed jarring but not surprising to see Amber drag Eula earlier, pretending they needed to go wash the grime and sweat from the exhausting race Amber just finished. It was very obvious however – to the adults at least – that they wanted a bit of alone time together. Collei helpfully went ahead and got back to the hostel to get them a change of clothes as well as towels. Which led her to see things… which honestly she should have expected.

Now that everyone is back together, the atmosphere is a bit awkward. Eula clears her throat and tries to change the subject.

“Is everyone hungry? I know Amber is going to need a half-dozen portions to replenish, so we might as well find a good restaurant with generous servings.”

Diona raises her hands excitedly, “Yes! Me!”

Cacucu, resting on Diona’s head like it was his usual place, echoes her sentiment with a shrieking “Go, go!”

“What does Cacucu eat, Mister Ifa?” Collei asks.

“He likes anything really, not very typical for a qucasaur. Although he does prefer meat and fish the most.”

“Hear that partner?” Amber says excitedly, prompting Cacucu to fly up to her with as much energy, which makes her giggle, “Let’s get us some grub then, I am famished!”

Ifa chuckles, glad to see his little companion already making new friends. He suggests a small local restaurant hidden away from most touristic paths, and the whole group made up of Eula, Amber, Collei, Diona, Ifa and Cacucu make their way to a well deserved dinner.

When they arrive the restaurant is exactly as mentioned: small, slightly hidden, but with an unmistakably beautiful view towards the North where the outlines of Nod-Krai and Fontaine can be seen. But the small place has a few customers already, who are not exactly strangers.

“Chasca? What are you doing here?” Ifa asks, obviously surprised to find his ex in this place.

The lady who won the race earlier turns her head when the newcomers arrive and widens her eyes. Obviously she wasn’t expecting Ifa to come here as well. Especially when she is already sitting down with two other guests.

Amber recognizes them immediately.

“Oh hi guys! Charlotte and Freminot is it?” she says with a beaming smile.

The couple sitting opposite Chasca waves at the group, inviting them at their table.

“Come on sit down, sit down, the more the merrier! Once again: this is my boyfriend Freminet, and I am Charlotte, journalist extraordinaire!”

“Pleasure. Name’s Ifa,” he says after removing his hat and sitting down. Then he turns towards Chasca, “New friends?”

“Miss Charlotte did the commentary for the race today. And now she is asking me a lot of questions.”

Freminet sighs, “Sorry about that. I keep reminding her we are supposed to be on vacation but she keeps wanting to interview everyone.”

Amber sits next to Charlotte and laughs, “That’s some mighty job conditioning, Charlotte!”

Eula next to her rolls her eyes, “That’s rich coming from someone who scouted the whole area while competing in a flying race.”

“But I found us a nice little place to rest, did I not?” Her wink brings a flush to Eula’s face, who somehow doesn’t pursue her train of thought.

Collei chooses to sit on the free seat next to Freminet.

“Sorry about her,” they both say at the same time. After a second of silence they both smile meekly.

“I’m Collei, I’m a Forest ranger from Sumeru.”

“Freminet, Deep Diver from Fontaine. Nice to meet you.”

They both fall into a comfortable silence, the kind that fellow introverts appreciate as none of them feel the need for small talk with the other. At least at first.

Diona, next to Collei, doesn’t follow any of the adults conversations: she is too busy playing with Cacucu who flies around her head, making her cackle and giggle.

As food starts to arrive, conversation takes it natural course amid the guests.

“Miss Amber, I am glad we meet again,” Chasca says after getting the Outrider’s attention, “I did not have time to congratulate you on our close race.”

“Bah don’t mention it, I lost fair and square! You flew so well, and I learned a lot!”

“Even so, you left so quickly that you didn’t claim your prize.”

Diona’s ears perk up, “There was a prize?”

“Yeah?” Amber replies with no surprise on her face, “Did you not read the pamphlet?”

“Did anyone actually read the whole thing?” Collei adds, rolling her eyes and stuffing herself with freshly cooked bread.

Amber shrugs, “Doesn’t matter I didn’t participate for that kind of reward.”

“Nonetheless, I am glad we meet again,” Chasca continues, “Because I have your prize right here with me. Chief Mutota charged me with finding you to deliver it.”

From her leather bag Chasca produces a small, flat wooden box the size of her hand. The guests become quieter, suddenly interested in what could be inside. Amber carefully lifts the lid, and opens her eyes wide.

“Wait, what?”

Chasca quickly explains the content, believing that Amber may not appreciate the true value of the beautiful item contained within.

“This is the feather of a now extinct legendary bird from Natlan. It is said to have lived in the territory of the Muratan before they were wiped out by the Abyss advances five hundred years ago. We can still find a few of them in the Northern Islands, but this is one of the rare ones that are still whole.”

Amber takes the dark red feather in her hand, gently stroking it with her fingers.

“I’m seen this before,” she mumbles.

“Hm?” Chasca doesn’t quite catch what she means, tilting her head politely.

Amber looks back at Chasca, suddenly very serious, “I already have a feather like that. Although it’s a different color. Look, I have it attached to my vision!”

And before the stupefied audience around the table, the Outrider takes out her vision which she has stashed in her pocket. Without a doubt the beautiful orange feather attached to it looks strikingly similar to the one she has been gifted.

“Wow, it really is from the same bird. Did you get that one from Natlan too?” Ifa asks after looking at the feathers more closely.

“No, I got it in Mondstadt! I hunted a beautiful fire-colored bird in one of our forests. It took me a few days to track it down but I finally managed to catch it. Jean rewarded me with one of its feathers!” Amber glows with pride at her past feat, but Ifa and Chasca are getting even more confused.

Thankfully one knowledgeable lady who complements Amber’s clumsiness holds an important piece of information.

Eula clears her throat, “I may have an idea of what has happened. I believe you mentioned this bird was native of the Muratan clan, correct?”

Chasca nods.

“It so happens that Mondstadt’s history mentions a very famous person from this clan’s descent.”

Diona gasps, “I know, I know! It’s Vennessa!”

“The founder of the Knights of Favonius, of course!” Amber suddenly remembers as well.

Eula explains further for the Natlanese and Fontainians around the table, “Lady Vennessa is revered in Mondstadt for leading a rebellion and freeing the City a few centuries ago, when it was held by powerful and cruel aristocratic families. She and her enslaved people were notoriously said to be Muratan from Natlan – although we don’t know much more than this. Given how long ago that was, there is likely a bit of Natlanese blood in most of Mondstadt’s people nowadays.”

“Then, what about the bird?” Diona asks, petting Cacucu in her arms.

“It’s only a conjecture, but the Muratan may have brought those birds with them as they fled their land. We can only suppose that some of those escaped into the wild, living in hiding for decades or centuries. Until an intrepid Outrider found one…”

Collei gasps, realizing something. “Wait, if it’s such a rare bird, could Amber have hunted down its last member??”

Ifa recoils at the thought. Both he and Collei had been in a heated discussion about animal diversity in their respective countries and the need for protective laws. To hear about such a rare find makes them both highly worried.

“Naah, I’m sure it’s fine,” Amber waves her hand dismissively, “Sucrose had the same reaction when we went to ask her what she knew about that bird, but after a special investigative expedition in the lost forests I found it in, it turns out there may be a thriving population there. I just happened to catch one because I’m just that good of a hunter. Mwahaha!”

Chasca holds her forehead as she takes all the news in. “So you are telling me that this legendary bird we thought relegated to Natlan’s history may actually still be living in a distant land on the other side of Teyvat?”

Ifa laughs as he offers her a drink, “Seems that way! Let’s drink to this unexpected news, it’s a good time for a toast!”

“Yeah!”

Everyone fill their glasses with whatever alcoholic beverage or juice is at hand, before happily cheering for the extinct birds that lived again.

Collei giggles, “By the way how is that bird called?”

Ifa is of course the one the answer, “We call it phoenix.”

“A beautiful name for a fire bird brought back to life!”

“Let’s cheer to that!”

Clanking glasses and laughter fill the table as everyone continues eating, chatting and having a good time.

Amber is all too happy to add the new feather to her side, next to the first one on her vision with a quick needle work. A proud achievement to add to her list and show off!

As Freminet starts to warm up to Collei next to him, the conversation turns into how he and Charlotte met. He explains in a few words how his brother Lyney and his sister Lynette suggested he tried to make friends, and the first person they presented to him was the bubbly and constantly yapping Charlotte. Although quiet and demure, a sparkle appears in his eyes when he describes how his heart quickly started to beat every time he got to see her on what soon became actual dates.

But Diona, not too far, heard a familiar name, “Wait! ‘Lyney’, I remember! It’s that guy who kidnapped me!”

A cold icy wind shuts down the conversation within seconds. Until someone else mentioned arrives just on time.

“Oh there you are Freminet, Charlotte. Hm?” Lynette appears, ears perked up and wearing her usual magician outfit. “That’s a lot of people. Activating crowd mode… Greetings everyone, it is a pleasure to meet you all. I take it you took good care of my brother and his girlfriend?”

“Lynette! Come here, come here!” Charlotte calls her over to sit next to her.

Halfway to the seat Lynette suddenly stops in her tracks as another pair of feline eyes stare at her from the other side of the table.

Hair raised on her tail, Diona glares, uneasy, at the new arrival with similar features as her.

A silent staring contest starts between the two. Ear twitches, low growls, and tail wagging are all that they do to somehow communicate. Until Diona finally lets her guard down.

“Hmmph, you look fine. I’ll allow you to sit at our table.”

“Much obliged. I’m Lynette, magician assistant.”

“Diona, Bartender at the Cat’s Tail.”

“A bar. Do you have enough room for people to perform?”

“If we move the tables around, maybe.”

The two cat girls immediately hit it off with quick quips as they sit next to each other and start eating absentmindedly.

Cacucu, seeing another predator-like person arrived, cleverly flutters over to hide on Amber’s shoulder.

“So, uh, what was that about a kidnapping?” Charlotte asks smelling a juicy story.

Eula scoffs, “Mostly a misunderstanding with a couple of pyro-headed people we met in Ockkanatlan. The kind that shoot first and ask questions later.”

Lynette and Freminet share a glance before nodding.

“That sounds like Father and Lyney,” Freminet says with a more posed voice, “I’ll apologize in their place if that is any help.”

“It’s… fine,” Eula says after a pause. “I know how pyro people can be… spontaneous in the company of others.” Her gentler glance towards Amber does not escape Charlotte, who makes a mental note of the two’s relationship.

“Oh, that’s a trend, is it? I know someone very, very headstrong who also wields pyro like it’s a toy. Everyone respect her greatly of course, but she can be quite unpredictable,” Chasca chimes in, obviously slightly inebriated from her nth drink.

Ifa frowns, “You don’t plan to go patrol in this state after dinner, right Chasca?”

“Oh, worried about me? We’re not together anymore, remember? You don’t need to pamper me,” Chasca chuckles.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t worry about a dear friend. Allow me to make sure you get home safely today. You worked hard all morning and you even had a close race in the afternoon. Go take a rest after this, will you?”

Chasca smiles tenderly, obviously reminiscing on some sweet memories. Although their flame may have dwindled, their relationship is still one she keeps close to her heart.

The dinner takes a couple hours to finish stretched by the unending topics of conversation, but the dimming light of the sun finally signals everyone it is time to go.

Lynette and Diona have actually become close, and Lynette makes sure to invite the younger girl to her magic show scheduled at the start of the music festival.

Collei and Freminet exchange contact information to stay in touch as well, unsure if they would meet again after that day. He mentions he and Charlotte may not stay at the festival for too long, since they plan to spend more time at the People of the Springs where the diving spots would be less crowded then.

Amber and Charlotte were the ones who talked the most during the dinner, as expected. It take four people to finally break them apart lest they talk for the whole night.

Ifa stays true to his word and takes Chasca back to her home, like a true gentleman.

And Eula takes a breather on a small balcony by the side of the restaurant as people go their own way. A quiet space where no one bother her as she breathes in the soothingly colder air of the coming night.

“Miss Eula?” Charlotte suddenly appears, “May I have a word?”

“Mademoiselle Charlotte? Please, there is enough room out here.”

The journalist smiles and walks next to the tall Captain from Mondstadt.

After a moment of silence, Eula breaks the silence.

“Do you have a question for me, miss investigating journalist?”

Her suddenly colder tone makes Charlotte shiver, then chuckle, used as she is at handling less than amiable characters. “You saw right through me! But don’t worry, I won’t pry too much.”

“What do you want? I don’t think there is much information you can glance from me as I am just here on vacation.”

Charlotte adjusts her monocle, “You know very well that the upcoming music festival is a facade for something else. Ads in every nation, and some very important people from each one coming to meet at the same time right when the festival begins? Sketchy.”

“The centuries-old war in Natlan concluded, and the Pyro Nation rebuilt its ties with every region. Holding an international festival to celebrate it all doesn’t seem far fetched.” Eula shrugs, “What you imply sounds like baseless conspiracy to me.”

“I don’t mind,” Charlotte shakes her head, “You may not see the whole picture, but I know you came to Natlan with something that you gave to someone.”

Eula flinches. How could she know something so insignificant?

And then it dawns on her: Charlotte and Amber have been talking for the whole evening, an ideal way to softly interrogate the Outrider about their whereabouts in Natlan.

“If I had to guess… Your contact in Natlan should have been… miss Xilonen.”

Eula remains impassible, “What makes you say that?”

“It was strange how you came so discreetly through the Children of Echoes now that the sea routes are opened. And upon arrival, the notoriously proud and lazy Smith lady is the first one to welcome you, and she immediately trusts you enough to give you an important package to deliver to one of her close friends? Unlikely. I think you must have known each other beforehand, even if you haven’t met until then.”

“You have a lot of imagination, Miss Charlotte. I am jealous.”

“Hehe, thanks! I’ve traced the movements of important people from Fontaine, Sumeru and Inazuma, as well as Snezhnaya – although that one was straightforward given the people I came with – but I could not quite figure out if and who would come from Liyue and Mondstadt. A few days ago I got wind of the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing accompanying her secretary for a self-described ‘mandatory vacation.’ If I don’t take Nod-Krai into account since politically it is part of the Cryo Archon’s domain, I am left only with Mondstadt… I’ll exclude the clumsy duo of adventurers who somehow appeared in Tollan, and the only prominent people from Mondstadt would be… you lot. And you in particular, Madame Captain.”

Eula smiles icily. This little journalist knows more than herself, without a doubt, but thankfully her own mission this time ended as soon as she arrived.

“My goal is to spend a leisurely time with my girlfriend and my friends. Nothing more.”

“I’m sure you are!” Charlotte beams, her eyes smiling with a spark of ruse. “I just wanted to make sure I got the gist of it. It’s pretty obvious that you are not the envoy yourself, so maybe you left a message to pass on. It’s all conjectures, of course! But by now I think I have a good starting point for a great article. I’ll just have to be in top shape during the festival to unravel the mystery of that strange Festival!”

“Good luck to you then,” Eula says with a nod as she turns around and leaves with assured steps.

She takes a while to meet back with her friends, who were waiting for her to get back to the hostel now that night has fallen.

Amber hugs her as soon as she arrives, “Eula! Are you okay?”

How can her bunny girlfriend sense the subtle unease she felt after talking to Charlotte? Eula tightly hugs back.

Charlotte had been quite perceptive, although Eula did not expect the little box that Dhalia gave her back in Mondstadt to be that important. It was supposed to be a modest gift from the Anemo Archon to be passed to the Pyro Archon via one of her most trusted friends. If there is actually more than that…

Eula looks down at her warm girlfriend who looks up with worry and love in her eyes. Eula leans down for a gentle kiss, which makes Amber giggles.

Collei and Diona roll their eyes in unison, as Eula finally relaxes.

Her main mission is to spend a good time with her friends, as she said, and she intends to finish the journey together with the most memorable stories to tell when she comes back home. After spending so many days visiting each and every tribe in Natlan, they will soon arrive at the final destination which has been talked about everywhere they went, starting from their meeting with Xinyan back in the Children of Echoes.

The Iridescence Tour Music Festival, at the Stadium of the Sacred Flame.

Chapter Text

The next day the feverish energy of the competition has subsided. Except for Amber of course, who once again gets up early and rejuvenated. But not for a jog this time.

“Come on Collei, time for our morning flight!”

Her little sister stretches her sleep away, yawns and follows Amber silently to refresh and put on their clothes. But as they go get ready Amber feels a pull on her pajama pants.

“Oh, you want to come too Diona?”

The little cat girl nods, obviously still sleepy as well but very much up and ready to move even this early in the morning. No doubt Amber’s flight demonstration the previous day made a deep impression on everyone.

“Great!” Amber beams, happy to see her flight group growing. She sends one last careful look at Eula’s bed, just to make sure her girlfriend isn’t awake. The light snoring coming from under the cover reassures her that Eula’s deep sleep hasn’t been interrupted by their early venture.

The morning air outside of the hostel is surprisingly cold and crisp, but it doesn’t stop the group from making their way to the high platforms of the Flower-Feather Clan where the qucusaur riders come and go. A few natives look at them with interest, surprised to see tourists up so early, let alone to see them getting ready to fly.

“Morning guys,” Chasca greets them just as she comes back from her own early patrol, “Morning flight?”

“You bet!” Amber nods energetically, “Got any good routes to suggest?”

Chasca takes a quick look at the three of them. Amber’s prowess in the air she saw already the day before, but she can’t be sure about the leaner girl with green hair and the small cat girl. But then she remembers that they did fly all the way from the peak of the Tollan volcano, and that all three of them have a vision. “I’d recommend the route around the summit,” she says after pondering for a while. She points up at the high rocky peak against which the settlement has been built. “If you start from the entrance of the town you’ll find some great currents to gain height. But don’t get too close to the pyro geysers themselves, unless you all have pyro-resistant clothes.”

“Well actually… Both Collei and I made our way up here from the Masters of the Night-Wind using those hots currents, so how outfits are fine! But Diona…”

Diona stands proud with her hands on her waist,, “The shopkeeper said my Cuqusaur outfit can handle pyro. It’s made for the Children of the clan to wear!” She twirls around to show the latest piece of her saurian outfit collection. This time she looks like a baby qucusaur, fitting for the occasion.

“Let’s me test that just in case…” Amber holds a small piece of Diona’s cloth and summons her power. The fabric heats up… but it doesn’t burn. “Huh, it’s the real deal alright! You sure you can withstand the heat, Diona? Even if it doesn’t burn, it’ll still be hot.”

“I’m fine! See?” Diona wriggles a little and a cryo aura surrounds her, cooling her down quite effectively.

“Well now I’m jealous,” Chasca says with a light smile. “I may be used to Natlan’s heat, but flying through the pyro currents still takes its toll. My anemo vision doesn’t help much in that regard.”

“Yeah, I think only Amber doesn’t care about the heat around here.”

“Hahaha! It feels great, doesn’t it? And – oh, wait here’s Cacucu!”

The little flying saurian appears from behind Amber and flies around her happily.

“Go! Go!” he repeats happily as he lands on Amber’s shoulder.

“Where are you coming from, little buddy? I thought you went back to Ifa’s?”

“No way bro!” Cacucu grips Amber’s shoulder cloth and pulls, making her take a step from the force.

“Oh calm down, hahaha! I get it, you want to join us? To fly with us for our morning exercise?”

The little bird nods, happy to have made himself understood. Ever since their improvised team up the day before, the two of them have developed an impressive affinity.

“Well, I guess we’re all ready to go! Chasca, want to come with?” Amber reaches out with her open hand.

“Thanks but I just got back from my patrol. I need to go report to Chief Mutota. The Northern Sea still has echoes of the roars that you heard when you first arrived here.”

“Ah too bad… But I’m glad you guys are looking into it. Hopefully we’ll see you around, at least before we leave tomorrow?”

“I hope we do,” Chasca says as she leaves, tipping her hat with a smile.

The morning flight feels good for the three young women and the little saurian, and after flying high up they get the first glimpse of the sun peeking out of the horizon beyond Sumeru’s desert. A splendid sight to crown this improvised morning routine, and one for which they all wish they brought their kamera. Collei feels a pang of homesickness when she gets a glimpse of the giant tree that hosts Sumeru City, which looks so small at this distance. But she knows her vacations will soon end in a few days, and she starts to hope for it to continue just a little longer.

As they finally come down after having circled a few times around the summit, the group goes back to the landing area to find Eula and Ifa deep in talk, a serious look on their faces. But when they land the two of them look relieved.

“There you are!” Ifa says with a strange smile on his face, “Cacucu, you little devil! You scared me a little when you disappeared this morning!”

“Oh dear! Oh dear!” the little bird saurian vainly tries to hide behind Amber, who instinctively protects him with her body.

Diona looks up, tilting her head. “What’s wrong? Was Cacucu grounded? He didn’t blast something up, did he?”

Eula leans over to pat her head, “Nothing of the sort. Due to yesterday’s taxing race, Mister Ifa just wished to keep a close eye on Cacucu to make sure he didn’t suffer from hidden injuries. And so…”

Ifa continues, “… when I woke up this morning he wasn’t in his nest by my bed like usual. And let me tell you, this is very unusual for this little one since he tends to sleep quite late. Right bro?”

“For real now? Do you even hear yourself, bro?” Cacucu replies after perching on Amber’s shoulder.

“Hahaha! But everything’s good now!” Amber laughs, as usual dispelling a bit of whatever little tension has built up in the air. “Come on let’s go for a wash, we flew more than I expected, I’m all sweaty!”

“Same…” Collei nods as she takes Diona hand in hers.

“It was fun!” the catgirl says, almost hopping in place from joy and decidedly fully awake by now.

Eula sighs afterwards, with a side glance to Ifa who appears relieved. There still seems to be something bothering him, but she doesn’t feel it is her place to pry.

After a good filling breakfast, the group decides to spend the rest of the day resting and visiting the settlement more leisurely before their departure for the Stadium for the next day. Which means shopping, snacking and playing around freely!

“I don’t think so, Amber,” Eula says with a look of disgust.

“Oh come on, I’m sure it’ll look great on me! Right Chief?”

“You have great taste, Miss Amber,“ Chief Mutota says with an appreciative nod and a thumb up. “Very few people in our tribe and beyond have quite the right fashion sense to understand the beauty of these flying goggles!”

Eula frowns, “They are shaped like stars that take up half your face. This is an affront to fashion itself.”

“And yet,” Amber says as she puts on the eccentric pair of goggles on her face, “I can pull it off! See?”

Earlier the group had met with the Chief of the tribe and Amber asked him where to buy the same kind of weird goggles he wears around his neck. The man had excitedly guided her to his favorite shop which specialized in flying goggles. Among the variety of shapes, the ones he wore were probably the most outrageous ones.

“You look so goofy Amber, hahaha!” Diona laughs out loud, amused by Amber’s new goggles on her face.

Eula soon caves seeing her girlfriend so happy – she even offers to pay them as a gift, which Amber appreciates greatly. The tender kiss Eula receives afterward makes it very much worth it, she decides.

“I think I’ve got souvenirs for everyone now. Dad, Papa, Madame Faruzan, Dunyarzad, Nilou, Kaveh, Nahida, Uncle Sethos…” Collei crosses out the list of names on her little notepad. “What about you Diona?”

“Yeah! I’m got something for Papa and Mama, Klee, also for Greatgreat, Timmie, Brookes…”

“Greatgreat? That’s a weird name,” Collei asks.

Diona nods, “That’s how I call Uncle Olaf.”

“Oh the one who was found frozen in ice?” Amber adds as she bites into her juicy skewer.

“Yeah! He said he didn’t really like to be called ‘Uncle Olaf’, so I’ve been using great-great-great-great-great-grampa. Greatgreat for short.”

“Drawing your family tree must be quite interesting…” Eula says with a smile. “Much more fun I believe than my genealogy lessons. Ugh, the mere remembrance gives me a headache…”

Amber hugs her side tightly, “Don’t worry Eula, we’ll start our own tree one day! Like dandelion seeds, nothing but the wind will decide where we take root!”

Yet another simple word from the love of her life that hides unexpected wisdom. Eula takes Amber’s hand and bring it to her lips, kissing it tenderly with her eyes closed. A gesture that makes her girlfriend flinch and blush, at a loss for word.

Collei rolls her eyes, but she can’t stop smiling too. Secretly she hopes her own love life will be as carefree and caring as these two. Her thoughts wander back to Ororon… and she starts to miss him so much. The next day can’t come any faster now.

“Hm, you look like a real knight, Eula!” Diona giggles, “If only Dad had the same pride, maybe mom wouldn’t scold him so much. But he’s been doing better recently… Hmph, I’ll have to make sure of that when I get back home!”

Strangely the conversation has shifted to their inexorable return, but the next few days will surely be as memorable as the rest.

The whole day is spend visiting the Flower-Feather clan’s more touristic spots.

A qucusaur petting zoo where Diona’s outfit makes her accidentally get lost among the saurian chicks, giving Eula a fright and Amber a bout of laughter.

An archery spot for all levels, where Amber, Collei, and especially Diona show their respective expertise. The little cat girl in particular excels at moving targets, showing off the pride of her family of hunters from Springvale. Eula stays by the side, using up many kamera rolls to capture the three other girl’s happy tribulations.

Of course they also force Eula to shoot a few arrows herself. She manages to hit the target a few times, but she realizes how rusty she is now. Maybe she should train her archery a little more when she gets back home… She makes a mental note of it.

Later during the day they meet Charlotte and Freminet again as they prepare to move to the Stadium ahead of the opening ceremony. But this time, they are accompanied by Lynette, Lyney… and their Father, Arlecchino, back from Ochkanatlan.

“Greetings, again,” She says with a polite but restrained nod towards Eula. “I hope my children did not bother you in any way during your stay.”

The emphasis is not lost on Eula, who takes it as warning. One that says: if you attempt to touch one hair of any of them, be prepared to suffer.

“Don’t listen to her, I hope to see you all at the festival!” Fearlessly Charlotte dismisses Arlecchino’s thinly veiled threat like nothing.

Lynette and Lyney wave at Diona, who still keeps her distance, hidden behind Collei.

Collei herself instinctively hides behind Eula and Amber. The couple feel her apprehension and makes sure to keep a protective arm around her to make her feel safe.

“Fare travels,” Eula says with a slight bow, “Do not worry, they have been all too polite.” She eyes Charlotte for a second, just enough to see her wink back.

“Very good,” Arlecchino replies. She snaps her finger and without another word the group is on their way. They are taking one of the numerous balloons that have been prepared to bring all the people to the Stadium. The same kind Eula and Diona took to get up, and the same the whole group will take the next day.

“By the way,” Diona says as she eats a snack they bought from a stall on the way, “Is Cacucu staying with us all day?”

From the morning the little saurian hasn’t left Amber’s side, to Ifa’s dismay. He did let him go as he pleased, only asking him to take it easy for the day as he is supposed to recuperate from the previous day.

Amber smiles as she pets Cacucu, “I don’t mind, we make a good team, don’t you think?”

“Hmph,” Eula scoffs. “As long as he remembers you’re mine.”

Collei chuckles, “Eula, are you jealous of a little qucusaur?”

“N-Nonsense.” A little blush appears on her face as she mumbles about “vengeance” and a “list.”

The small group walks around aimlessly as the sun inexorably drops from the sky and into the sea. Looking for a place to eat, one last dinner at the Flower-Feather Clan. When suddenly a now familiar voice calls out to then.

“There you are,” Chasca says with a wave. “If you haven’t found a place to eat yet, why not come to my place? My parents said they’d be happy to have guests. And to tell you the truth Ifa is there already, and he’s been… let’s say anxious about Cacucu.”

Amber tilts her head, soon mimicked by Cacucu himself.

“Why not?” Collei says, seeing as none of her companions seem to mind.

Most of the restaurants seemed busy anyway, so this invitation sounds like a good idea.

Chasca has decided to keep living with her parents, to take of all of them as they start to grow older. But her job as an airborne patroller makes her stay away from home many days at a time.

“Wow!” Diona gawks when they enter the giant home built slightly apart from the main settlement. It’s a two storied house, with an adjacent stable to host Qucusaur mounts.

“Mom? I’m home, I brought my guests,” Chasca calls out as she ushers everyone in.

After a while small, quick steps announce the arrival of a small older woman. She finishes drying her hands on her apron and her face lights up when she sees Chasca.

“Welcome home dear!” She hugs her daughter who leans down cautiously to her height. “And welcome everyone! Oh, I’m glad to have more guests, Chasca needs to invite more friends over!”

“Mom…”

Chasca’s mother chuckles and motions everyone to come inside to the living room.

Eula and Collei exchange a look. This precious lady is homely and despite her age her steps are still assured. More notably, she looks nothing like Chasca. Could she be adopted too?

The main space is brightly lit by warm lamps on the wall, and in the middle of the room Ifa and Chasca’s Father are busy cutting vegetables.

“Hey there guys! Glad to see you were able to come! Looks like Cacucu is happy too, that’s good.”

“Hi,” the other man says curtly. A man of few words, obviously, with face marked by the years and a rough frown. However when his wife goes around to give him a peck on the cheek, his eyes lit up and tenderness spreads on his face. “Welcome home dear,” he says to Chasca with a nod.

“Come on, take a seat! I’ll bring drinks while we finish preparing the food!”

Everyone obeys Chasca’s mother’s invitation and soon the table is filled with small talk and glasses clinking on the wooden table.

“How’s Mama Bird?” Chasca asks after taking a sip of her tankard.

“Getting better, I was just finishing brushing her coat when you arrived. Coya comes regularly to check on her, but I think she misses you too. You know your parents get worried about you, right dear?”

Chasca sighs.

“Who’s Mama Bird?” Diona asks. Everyone from her group thank her for asking the possibly sensitive question with her usual excusable, childish curiosity.

“Chimpu, my adopted Mother,” Chasca says as she looks towards the stable, “A Qucusaur who brought me up when she found me abandoned as a kid. She and my Bird Sister Coya were my first family.”

Diona frowns, looking back and forth between her and the old couple who she called Mom and Dad earlier. “Then you have… two moms?”

“That’s right. Another mom and a dad, who adopted me and helped me grow up as a human. And… I had another sister too.”

Her eyes turn dark, and she doesn’t need to say more for even the youngest one to understand that sister of her is no longer among the living.

Diona gets closer and tip toes to try and pat Chasca on the head. Although she is still too small and only manages to pat her shoulder. “There, there.”

Chasca smiles, the pain in her eyes subsiding. “Thank you, little Diona.”

“ Chuychu made Natlan proud,” Chasca’s Father says loudly, suddenly straightening on his seat. With pride and sadness in his wet eyes, he takes another sip of his alcoholic drink.

“ Chuychu was a talented healer,” the Mother says as she leads Diona back to her seat, “Her loss during the war pained all of us greatly.” She gets back to her seat next to her husband and sticks close to him to console him as well.

“Oh dear, oh dear!” Cacucu breaks the heavy tension as he suddenly flies away.

“Huh? Where is he going?” Amber asks.

“Probably go to see Mama Bird,” Ifa says, happy to shift the conversation, “I think she’s taken a liking to him somehow now that she’s moved under the care of Chasca’s parents. Do you want to see her?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Diona jumps from her seat, followed by Amber.

“I’ll go with them, I’m sure she’ll be glad to see me too,” Chasca says.

Eula and Collei stay behind and offer to help finish prepping the table while the rest goes to visit Chasca’s saurian mother.

The old qucusaur is massive, twice a big as any adult qucusaur they’ve seen so far. But her red feathers are turning gray and white, a sign of advanced age. As they approach she stands up menacingly.

“I’m home, Mama,” Chasca says, and with no hesitation she plunges into the fluffy coat of her Bird Mother.

“Hello! Hello!” Cacucu follows suite, fluttering around her head as a weird sign of greeting, to which she responds with a low growl.

“Hey there, Ma’am. It’s not time for your checkup today, I’m just here as a friend, relax,” Ifa says, staying back against the wall with a wry smile.

Amber and Diona look up with sparkles in their eyes at the fluffy mountain in front of them.

“...Can we pet her?” Diona finally dares to ask.

Chasca laughs, takes their hands and brings them closer to the massive qucusaur. “Here, Mama, these are friends.”

She growls, looking straight at the two Mondstadt guests. Then she lets out a sigh, sits back down on the floor and closes her eyes. After a bit of hesitation, Amber and Diona start petting and caressing her, digging happily into the fluffy feathers.

Chasca joins Ifa to the back as they both watch over her adoptive Mother getting pampered.

“She missed you, but she doesn’t want to show it. Like mother like daughter, I guess,” Ifa says with a smirk.

“Cut if out,” she says, smiling nonetheless.

The two of them start to chat more lightly, like old friends who went apart yet remain close.

When dinner is finally ready everyone comes back to the living room to eat. Exceptionally Chasca also brings her Mama Bird to the table, with a bowl of her own to eat next to everyone, to the group’s delight. Turns out only Chasca could convince her to move from her stable… which means she must be in a good mood now.

Collei and Chasca’s mother come back from the kitchen with full plates and they start distributing the dishes, with Eula and Chasca’s dad having just finished setting the table.

While the others were petting Mama Bird, Collei went to help and quickly warmed up to the old lady. She allowed herself to proudly talk about her recent adoptive parents, something Chasca’s mother was very interested in. They continue that discussion when they sit back at the table, and soon the dinner starts with talks of family and homes.

A homely atmosphere, delicious homemade food and a warm table makes for a delightful memory as the day in the visit to Flower-Feather Clan comes to a close.

When the night has finally settled Ifa decides to excuse himself, his job at his clinic still requiring his close attention, as usual. Once again Cacucu asks to stay… And Ifa accepts, after making sure Mama Bird would be able to keep an eye on him.

It doesn’t take a lot of convincing to make the remaining guests to all stay at Chasca’s home for a sleepover. After getting their luggage back from the hostel, all the girls bunk together in what used to be Chasca and Chuychu’s shared bedroom – now reconverted into a large guest room. Exhausted by the long day, their belly full and with some whispered late-night chatter, the ladies slowly fall asleep.

Chapter Text

“To Mondstadt?” Amber asks, incredulous.

Cacucu nods.

“With us?”

Another nod.

Stunned by the little bird’s sudden request, Amber turns to Ifa who looks particularly tired this early in the morning. The sun is barely lighting up the sky on the horizon, and only someone as excited and early riser such as Amber would have met him so early. The fact that he and Cacucu came to see them at Chasca’s home before sunrise made Amber worry at first, but of course the reason blew her expectations away.

“Sorry about that,” Ifa says with a hoarse voice, hat in hand, “Cacucu would not let me sleep until I agreed to let him ask you to join you on your way back to Mondstadt for a year or two.”

“But… why? I mean, I like the little buddy a lot, and flying with him was incredible, but… It’s a long way from home. And isn’t he your assistant at the vet clinic?”

“From what I understand… he wants to learn how to fly like you. In another place where he’d have no prejudice based on his… stature.”

A cold arm wraps around Amber from behind, “What have you done this time, my bunny?”

“Eula!”

Her girlfriend who never wakes up early suddenly appears and gives her a quick yet tender hug from behind. No doubt she must have felt something was up, something she should have her say about. Her piercing eyes stare at Ifa and Cacucu in turn.

“We’re already responsible for Diona and Collei. I don’t think it wise to take another one under our wings, so to speak. Especially on such short notice.”

Both Cacucu and Amber drop their heads in transparent dejection.

Ifa clears his throat and straightens his back. “If I may, Miss Eula. Cacucu is older than he appears. Most of the youngsters of his kind would have already left the nest by his age. But he never had the opportunity to do so. I kept him occupied as my assistant but… surely you’ve seen how enthusiastic he was during the race? I’d never seen him so happy. This would be like a study trip for him.”

The vet continues on, mounting a quite convincing argument. Despite knowing he’d get separated from his little friend, he cannot let his little heart flutter away by missing such an important opportunity.

It takes the combined efforts of Amber and Ifa to finally let Eula give up.

“Very well then, but let’s give the matter some cool down just to make sure he really wants this. If after the festival Cacucu still feels like joining us back to Mondstadt, then wait for us at the Port of the People of the Spring the day after the end. That’s plenty of time for Cacucu to change his mind… or to pack his things.”

Ifa let out a relieved sigh, and Cacucu joyfully flies around him and Amber with a flurry of elated chirps.

And just like that the party gains one unexpected member – assuming everything goes according to plan after the Festival.

“Oh I’m so happy! Don’t worry Amber, I’ll help you take care of Cacucu!” Diona says as she eats her breakfast in earnest, sitting on Collei’s lap. The news of Cacucu’s wish surprised both her and Collei, but after seeing Amber’s glowing at the prospect, they decide it is a good idea for both of them.

“Too bad I won’t be able to be there…” Collei pouts a little, but Amber is already hugging her arm affectionately.

“Don’t say that, don’t you have someone else you should be thinking about? Hmm? Maybe you could convince that certain someone of following you to the Akademiya. I’m sure he’d be interested in the Amunya school.”

“It’s Amurta, Amber,” Collei says with her index raised. “And… And… I haven’t thought that far yet.”

“Hmm… ah to be young again!” Amber muses jokingly. “Oh, you’re blushing already? How my lil’ sister has grown!”

“Cute it out!”

“Calm down both of you,” Eula says after swallowing a piece of bread. “Keep your strength for our travel to the Stadium. It’s straightforward, but we should still go early to make sure we can book proper accommodations. Chief Mutota assured me there would be ample room even at the last minute, but I’d like to get us comfortable lodgings. Hostels and shared rooms are nice but having our own room is a luxury I quite enjoy.”

“Right!” Amber nods happily.

“I’m hearing a horn,” Diona says as her ears perk up. “I think the next transport balloon is arriving!”

At her signal the party finishes their last bites and immediately they rush to the docks. They would have taken an earlier ride had it not been for Cacucu’s conundrum causing them to discuss the matter seriously. So after spending some more time snacking they make sure to jump on the first flight down to the Stadium.

The journey from the Flower-Feather Clan is a gentle descent. The group once again takes in the now quite familiar sight of Natlan from high up in the air. They say good bye to Ochkanatlan, pass over the high towers of the Masters of the Night Wind, and finally land near the edge of a giant chasm. In the middle of it stands a giant plateau joined by a web of suspended bridges, all running towards the center where the Stadium itself stands proud.

A giant construction of red stone and giant phlogiston pillars that stands out even among the incredible sights they’ve seen in the vast land of Pyro.

They join the crowd that converges towards the Stadium of the Secret Flame, with the giant Sun Gate welcoming all. The entrance is already full of stalls that sell snacks, souvenirs, or photos of heroes – with the best seller being Tumaini’s memorabilia of course.

Eula takes charge immediately. “Take my hand Diona, we don’t want to get separated. At least we need to get our bearings first before we adventure ourselves in the bowels of this city. Collei, Amber, stay close.”

“Yes Ma’am! I think I see a map over there, let’s have a look.”

“Okay, I – OH!”

Collei shouts not in pain but surprise as a rushing girl bumps into her.

“Oh! Sorry, sorry! I’m kind of in a hurry, folks! Uh?” Xinyan stops in he tracks as she recognizes Amber and her team. “Oh shit, it’s you guys! Glad ya could make it!”

“Language!” Eula scowls, but Xinyan dismisses her bad word with a hearty laugh.

“C’mon loosen up, the festival is about to begin! I’m setting the stage with the crew right now! Oh, wanna come with? I’ll show you around a bit!”

The Rock’n’Roll star drags everyone with her enthusiasm plowing through the sea of people coming from all around Teyvat. From Fontainian hats to Inazuman yukata, Sumeru and Liyuean garments, even some Mondstadt outfits, and the frequent Shnezhnayan warm clothes, everyone from Teyvat seems to have converged in this place teeming with life.

“Where is Kazuha?” Amber asks.

“Found a few buddies that dig his poetry, they’re busy jamming outside the Stadium in one those makeshift camps.”

“Camps?”

“Yeah, it’s on the plain just outside. Because there are so many people coming, they built a whole town just with colorful tents so people can sleep for the festival. In the middle of them there’s plenty of hearths to gather around, and Kazu happened to find the one with all the wordsmiths. You should’ve seen his smile when he found these guys, he looked as cute a kid getting his allowance during Lantern Rite, hahaha! If you go that way, go say hi, I’m sure he’ll be glad to see y’all!”

Finally after a few minutes of walk she leads them towards the very center of the Stadium where workers and officials are busy preparing the main stage of the Festival.

She shouts as soon as she arrives, “Heya! Yoi’, ‘Jack! How’s the pyro work going?”

Busy around the main stage they find a blond woman they’ve met before, Yoimiya, deep in talk with a man they haven’t.

“Oh, hi guys! I’m so happy to see you’re all here for the festival!” Yoimiya jumps out of the pit in front of the stage and runs to hug the group one by one, with Amber going first to take the brunt of the pyro embrace. “And yeah don’t worry Xinyan, it’s going to be FIRE!”

“That’s what I like the hear! Hahaha!” Xinyan and Yoimiya laugh out loud, with Eula frowning at the prospect of seeing at least two pyro ladies given free reign for a fire show.

Behind her the man gets off the stage and waves with a beaming smile.

“Miss Xinyan, nice to see you back! Did you find the replacement chords you were looking for?” The man says, before moving his gaze to the group of people around her, “Are you Miss Xinyan’s fans too? Greetings! My name is Dvorak, I’m the main organizer of the Iridescence Tour. Nice to meet you all!”

Eula bows, “Mister Dvorak,” instinctively recognizing a master of his art, and she does so with a perfect pronunciation of his name. The man is wearing quite an eccentric costume with musical notes sewn on every surface possible: pants, overcoat, shirt, top hat. With blatant colors and golden threads, he is dressed to stand out against the most outrageous of backgrounds and performers. A show man with the aura that perfectily attracts the attention.

“Wha, I’m impressed,” Xinyan says with wide eyes towards Eula, “I never managed to say his name correctly! Sorry for always calling ya ‘Jack, by the way!”

“It’s fine, my family name is old and archaic. I’m surprised to hear someone say it so well. Yet again,” His eyes quickly scan Eula, “It’s probably not a wonder a learned noblewoman would know that old language. If my eyes do not deceive, you must be a proud dancer yourself.”

Amber walks in front of Eula, “Mister… Jacques, is it? I appreciate you praising my girlfriend, but Eula is taken. Thank you very much!”

“Ah, but do not worry! Miss…?”

“Amber. Best Outrider in Mondstadt.”

“You are lucky miss Amber. I can tell Miss Eula is a woman of rare talent. Please take good care of her.”

“Hehe!” Amber immediately melts, “Right? Right? She’s the best dancer in Mondstadt, and she’s so strong and beautiful and–”

“Let’s cut the small talk for now,” Eula interrupts with a blush, “We still have our lodgings to take care of. As you can see with have a child and a young lady with us, so we want to make sure we all have a safe place to rest.”

“Oh!” Yoimiya almost shouts, “That’s perfect! We’ve booked two extra rooms at the inn, so you could take one! Ayaya booked one for each one of us three, but of course we’re going to share the same one, haha! What do you say?”

Eula ponders for a beat, “That’s very generous of you… How about this? We will share the rooms between Collei and Diona on one side, Amber and myself in the other.”

“Perfect! Let me show you to them!” After having been dragged by one pyro girl, the group gets pulled by another one.

“One moment,” Dvorak says, “You might want to pass by the Youth’s Office. They’ll provide free bracelets for children to wear that can provide their location in real time. Useful if they get lost, or to make sure they remain in their lodging. I promise the next few days you’ll want to enjoy the party well into the night, and you’ll want to make sure the children are properly in bed while you enjoy yourselves.”

Eula nods appreciatively, “A great touch, I’ll get right to it once we’ve got our rooms sorted. Thank you again, Mister Dvorak.”

“My pleasure,” he bows politely, imitating an aristocrat’s salute.

“Okay then see ya later folks, don’t miss the opening, I’ll rock your souls off!” Xinyan waves happily before returning to discuss further work to be done with Dvorak.

The group quickly settles in their room, half wanting to rest for the next day, and half too excited to stay still. They decide to take one last tour of the city which is still as alive at night as it is during the day. This is the perfect time to get the program of the Festival, which seems to have become quite the complex undertaking.

The Festival will last several days, with a plethora of musical performances planned in and out of the Stadium, all in different genres and from artists from the whole wide world. After the Opening Ceremony tomorrow, the main arena will be the central place where people can sing and dance – and drink and chat. But just outside in a newly built theater a specially designed entertainment facility is built to host children-appropriate entertainment with special entertainers, and this for the whole duration of the Festival. A good way for adults to enjoy the more mature music festival all while having their minds at ease knowing their children are happily occupied with other kids their age.

Young and old have gathered in the Stadium for the Festival, and with the large number of guests from all over the nations, the Stadium is already burning with excitement. A few days of music, dance and joyful entertainment to commemorate the nation’s new life after the war!

Yet unbeknownst to most, hidden figures gather this very night before the opening. In the Speaker’s Chamber the Pyro Archon, Mavuika, presides over a mixed group of people from the world over to discuss an important agenda.

The six stone seats, usually reserved for each of the tribe’s chiefs, now stand occupied by five people, and one remains empty.

“Thank you all for coming. I’m glad all of your nations answered my call.”

Mavuika sits on her throne in front of the eternal phlogiston flame, legs crossed and a beaming smile on her face. Right next to her, Citlali keeps a tight grip on a small weaving scroll, ready to keep a record of this historic meeting.

“Shall we begin?”

Chapter Text

Tension is almost palpable in the Speaker’s Chamber in the early hours before the Festival’s opening. Six stone chairs usually reserved for each of the Tribe’s chiefs, seven foreigners in the room. Yet not all the seats are occupied.

The pyro Archon, Mavuika, made sure to greet each of the dignitaries as they came in and led them to their official sitting place around the giant phlogiston hearth. But even with her genuine smile and experienced tact, silence remains in the hall, echoing the tension and unknown between the envoys from each nation. Mavuika sends a glance towards Citlali standing besides the throne. Yet granny Itztli can only shrug: having such a disparate delegation always starts roughly.

Resigned, Mavuika walks back to her chair. Time to break the ice.

“Thank you for coming. I’m glad all of your nations answered our call.”

The guests nod politely.

“It is an honor to visit the homeland of Dragons,” Neuvillette starts. Sitting on the chair of the People of the Springs, he stays upright and impeccable, a glass of clear water in hand. “Even though this is but a half-official meeting. Long have I wished to come here and pay my respects, alas my work in Fontaine has kept me busy for many years. You had my attention when you called for help to quell a beast more dangerous than even a dragon.”

“Likewise,” says the one sitting on the chair of the Children of Echoes. Keqing keeps her face down as she focuses on reading from the paper in front of her. Right next to her, rigid and polite stands Ganyu, her secretary for the occasion. She adjusts her glasses, and keeps a discreet hand on Keqing’s shoulder as support. “Liyue is glad to see your nation coming together after so many years of war against the Abyss. Your victory is a testament to your unwavering strength, and I’ll be happy to open the way to more trade agreements with Liyue. I hope our own research into defending Liyue from God-like creatures may come in handy in the current situation.”

“The Inazuman delegation greets you all,” Ayaka says in turn, bowing neatly from the Collective of Plenty’s chair. Behind her Chevreuse stands guard, looking straight ahead but gauging the whole room in case a danger arises to her lady. “My country is no stranger to the devastation of war, be it Abyssal or man-made.” She forces herself not to look in the direction of the Snezhnayan diplomat, and continues. “We could not stay idle as another global threat appears, especially coming towards a nation that finally found peace like we did. Our own God fought and slayed many god-like creatures, and I am sure we can find a solution for that one as well.”

Someone scoffs at her last sentence, but politely the attendees dismiss it.

Mavuika smiles warmly. She knew the envoys from Fontaine, Liyue and Inazuma would be agreeable to her call. The remaining two, however, appear way colder. Starting from the one who sneered at Ayaka’s talk.

The man in question wearing an oversized hat shouts from the chair reserved for the Scions of the Canopy. “Pah! This meeting could have been done remotely. Calling us all the way here in secrecy, all behind the guise of a dumb music festival? Are Archons always this sneaky? And looking around, I see no Archon made the journey. How disappointing.” The now former Harbinger – who now calls himself Icarus – sighs in his seat. “Anyways, I’m the proxy for the Dendro Archon. Please be quick I don’t have all day.”

“My dear Dendro envoy, You are welcome to leave Teyvat-level threats to nations of import.” A cold, deep voice says from the Masters of the Night-Wind’s chair. All eyes turn towards Arlecchino, busy sipping a glass of wine with a relaxed stance and the hint of an icy smile on her face. “Snezhnaya of course would offer its full support to protect our friend nations, be they close neighbors or on the other side of Teyvat.” She takes another slow sip, “With that said, we can see how serious nations operate. And how the most lazy, weak ones do.”

Every guest follow her scowling gaze towards the last, empty chair. The one that bears the sigil of the Flower-Feather Clan.

This is where the Mondstadt delegate should sit today, yet no one came. Or so it appears.

“Oh, right!” Citlali hurries towards the chair with a strange red ball in her hands.

She fumbles with it for a while, mumbling and cussing as she tries to read some kind of instruction manual, until the little red ball starts floating and beeping.

Dodoco! Dodoco!

“What manner of contraption is this?” Neuvillette asks, squinting his eyes, “This doesn’t look like a Fontainian automaton.”

“It’s quite cute though,” Keqing says deadpan. Ganyu behind her nods in agreement.

A distorted voice starts shouting right at that time, “Why, thank you! I’m so happy you like my little dodocommunication device! And it appears to have arrived in one piece, praise Barbatos!”

Icarus sighs, “That voice… aren’t you Barbatos?”

“Hehe! Nice to hear you Icarus! Tell me, how’s your little friend doing? Enjoying Natlan?”

If a blush could appear on his puppet-like face, it would have been hidden by Icarus quickly hiding his face under his hat. “He’s doing fine, jeez. Now shut up, this isn’t the right time for that.”

“Oho? Remember to come back to Mondstadt and tell me about your adventures! Don’t keep all the juicy stories for lil’ Nahida!”

“Yeah, yeah! Let’s get this over with.”

Keqing and Ayaka start talking more closely, not caring too much for Icarus. “I’m sure there’s a lucrative business for something cute like that,” the first says. Behind her Ganyu is already taking notes.

Ayaka nods, “I don’t know about trade, but this would be a hit if we were to make Youkai versions of it and sell them at festivals! We’d need to import Fontainian parts for the automaton aspect.”

Both of them take notes of the cute, floating device. But soon Mavuika’s voice rises above all.

“I’m happy to see you all getting acquainted, but as you all know today’s meeting requires our utmost attention. Of course once we have agreed on the means of defense, you are all welcome to enjoy the festival.”

Everyone falls silent again.

“As I mentioned in our previous communications, a dire threat is starting to reemerge from Natlan’s past. The legendary monster we call Bakunawa is resurrecting as we speak. Within a few years it might be strong enough to scape from its dimensional prison in Mare Jivari and invade Teyvat itself.”

She continues knowing that all of them knew all of that already.

“Thanks to our recent international collaboration, we’ve agreed on pooling our elemental resources to counter and seal the beast. Which led to the organization of the music festival today as a test-run for the real deal on Teto Island. The organizers of the Iridescence Tour were all too eager to accept our invitation to this year’s festival, and today we finally can see our work bear fruit. Citlali, can you report on the latest details?”

“Of course. I, Citlali bearing the ancient name Ukumbuko great out esteemed guests.”

Citlali takes a step forward and starts explaining the status of the plan.

Bakunawa is an abyssal monster which took the combined efforts of four previous Pyro Archons to defeat five centuries ago. Upon their victory the beast’s flesh scattered in all directions, and most people thought the beast dealt for good. But within a few years it began to grow anew. A few hundred years ago, however, someone sealed the beast in Mare Jivari, trapping it and the whole continent in a dimension separate in time and space from Teyvat.

But the recent victory against the Abyss changed the status quo: upon its demise by the hand of Tumaini and Kiongozi – the Traveler and Mavuika – Gosoythoth the

Lord of Eroded Primal Fire spent his remaining forces to carve a crack through the seals to Mare Jivari. Since then, Bakunawa’s strength has been growing faster every day, with his indirect influence on Natlan felt clearer as time passes. Sudden eruptions and tsunamis, thundering roars through the skies, all minute hints of his new rising power.

The Masters of the Night-Wind have been constantly fueling the seals with Nightsoul’s blessings. Yet even them are getting drained of their strength.

Six months prior to this day the Pyro Archon called for help from all the nations in Teyvat. A quick decision which led to the design of a new kind of seal, merging technologies from all the corners of the world. The Fontaine Institute’s mechanical expertise, Sumeru’s Akademiya’s wisdom and knowledge, Liyue’s adeptal sigils and Inazuma’s experience in fighting gods.

And then there’s Mondstadt. The home of Barbatos, who was the one who sealed Mare Jivari in the first place.

“Simply put,” Citlali says after recapitulating the whole operation, “We now have all the tools necessary for an nigh-unbreakable prison. This cage will require a near constant flow of elemental energy. Hence the festival and the entertainment island on Tete Isle, which you all thankfully promoted in all of your respective countries. The number of vision holders in the same place is now unprecedented, and it will only require us to sample an undetectable amount to fuel the cage for a few months.”

Ayaka frowns. “This is still very much reminiscent of the Vision Hunt Decree, so you should excuse our initial rejection of this plan. But I have been assured by our chief strategist Sangonomiya Kokomi that the failsafes we’ve asked for would be enough to prevent abuses.”

“Right, right!” Venti says through the Dodoco, “We wouldn’t want to cheat our people of their will, would we?”

Icarus, previously Scaramouche, shrugs. He knows his responsibility in Inazuma’s civil war and vision hunt. This might be an opportunity to mend his mistakes without losing his face.

“Right. Where do we sign?” he says nonchalantly.

“If all the parties are in agreement,” Citlali says, “Please apply your seal on this sacred scroll.”

She chants a small spell, and in front of her a sudden flash of light gives way to a golden threaded scroll floating in mid air.

“If you would,” she says presenting the document to Neuvillette first. The Iudex takes out his glasses and inspects the scroll carefully. After a while he nods, and a drop of water gently falls on the scroll. A shiny blue mark in the form of a tear drop.

Next comes Keqing, who takes her time checking all the smaller inscriptions on the scroll. Ganyu whispers a few words when the Yuheng wants some clarification, but after a while they both agree and they produce a ring with a seal imbued with geo. The orange mark glows in the form of an Amber stone.

Ayaka applies her seal using a small effigy of Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder. A purple thunder mark appears on the scroll.

Icarus doesn’t waste time either. He removes his hat, and out of it he pulls a beautiful, small, white flower. With a gentle shake it turns into a cloud of pollen which flies and sticks to the scroll. The same flower now appears on the canvas, glowing a tender green.

Arlecchino doesn’t need to reread the document she helped write. She simply snaps her fingers, and a small plume of smoke rises from the scroll that Citlali carries. A dark, charred snowflake appears on it.

The last one is Barbatos… and even the most serious guest is getting curious about how he is going to sign remotely.

Citlali offers the scroll in front of the dodoco device, but for a while nothing seems to happen. Until a sudden gust of wind opens the doors of the hall wide, swirling all around the room and making the central flame dance. A light dandelion seed borne by the wind gently floats down onto the scroll and takes root on it. The doors close slowly by themselves afterwards, as though apologizing for the disturbance.

“That’s… peculiar, but it is a valid seal,” Citlali says after checking the elemental signature, “Only one seal left now.”

She finally returns to the throne of her Archon, Mavuika, who chuckles as she presses her finger on the last remaining space. A flash of light blinds the audience, and all that is left is a sun sigil glowing with passion on the weaved scroll.

The last step is simple: the powerful artifact only has one purpose, and it is immediately put to use. Mavuika throws it into the flame in the central hearth, and it is quickly consumed.

“It is done,” she says. “Well done everyone, now I believe you are all free from any of your official obligations! The Masters of the Night-Winds will monitor the energy gathering during the whole event. Please stay in contact with Citlali here if you need an update. But I sincerely hope you will all enjoy the festival free of worries!”

“Hmph,” Icarus grumpily adjusts his hat and flies off without another word.

The others remain for a bit of unofficial chat. Neuvillette and Arlecchino exchange a few words, mostly to inquire and boast about each other’s families.

“Our Children made many friends during our travels in through Natlan,” Neuvillette says with an endearing smile. “My wife has never looked happier and beautiful. I am truly blessed with a wonderful family.”

Both of them clink their glasses, and Arlecchino replies with a smirk. “My Children are getting stronger and smarter by the day. It is only a matter of time before Lyney can take over some of my responsibilities… a truly joyful prospect.”

“I’m sure you must be dearly proud of them,” Neuvillette nods.

Despite the polite conversation, tension still remains between the two. He has not forgotten the threat the Knave was to his dear Furina during the lead-up to her awful trial.

Nonetheless, the other guests look on with reserve, and a bit of envy.

“Family, uh…” Keqing says. Her meaningful glance towards Ganyu sends a blush on the semi-adeptus’ face who tries – and fails – to hide behind her glasses.

“I, uh, think we still need a bit of time before we commit to such an important m-milestone… and we’ll need to drop our daily workload, otherwise there is no way…”

“Ganyu dear, I didn’t marry you to force you into anything, don’t worry.” Keqing reaches out to Ganyu’s hand and gently squeezes it. “Just… think about it. Little bundles of joy happily hopping and rolling around in our living room? Your mother would have no problem helping us taking care of them too.”

“True…” Ganyu says, frowning as though taking the idea more seriously.

“Hey guys,” Chevreuse walks up to the couple, leading Ayaka by the hand. “Now that this stuffy meeting is over, how about eating breakfast with us? There’s still a bit of time before the opening ceremony.”

“G-Greetings, lady Keqing, lady Ganyu.” Right behind her, Ayaka appears small, and incredibly shy. A great contrast to earlier.

Keqing wonders where that proud Inazuman emissary has gone, but she can’t help to be reminded of her cute wife’s more introvert mood when out of work. “That sounds like a great idea Ayaka-dono. Maybe we can talk a bit about that business we both seemed to like with the cute little talking ball?”

Ayaka’s eyes light up. Chevreuse broke the ice for her once again, allowing her to make new prospective friends. She makes a mental note to thank her properly when evening comes.

The four ladies walk out of the room following Arlecchino and Neuvillette who both went there own way towards their families.

With even Citlali now gone, Mavuika remains alone on her throne to gather her thoughts.

“That went better than I expected, Mav!” the dodocommunication device calls out once again.

“Of course, I planned it all perfectly,” Mavuika says with a tired smile, “This was just a show of hand, so to speak. Everything else had already been decided ahead of time.”

“Still, an impressive feat!”

“Tell me Barbatos, now that’s it’s just the two of us… Why did you not delegate your seal? The Mondstadter that brought your device seemed capable enough.”

“Oh I would never get in the way of her vacations with her friends! I’m sure they must have had a lot of fun without that kind of pesky end-of-the-world responsibility!”

“Always protective of your people I see,” Mavuika chuckles, “So much for the ‘weak absentee Archon of Mondstadt.’”

“Anyway! Don’t worry I do plan to visit some day. Maybe once you’ve finally settled the entertainment outpost on that Island of yours?”

Mavuika scoffs, “Oh I see, you only want to come visit when all the taverns are built on Tete Isle. You seem to share your devotees’ legendary love for alcoholic beverages!”

“Hehe!”

The two Archons continue to discuss light subjects. A way to cool down after the important meeting, and for Mavuika to warm up for the upcoming ceremony.

And just on cue, a horn resonates through the walls of the chamber.

“It is time for me to go… You’re going to miss the best festival Teyvat has ever hosted!”

“Good luck, Mavuika!”

On that note the dodoco device falls silent, and drops on the floor. Mavuika carries it cautiously into her office. Such an unassuming direct communication line to the other side of the world will be an incredibly useful tool in the future… assuming Barbatos can answer her calls.

The Pyro Archon washes up quickly and dons a new dress tailored specifically for the occasion. Can’t use the same old bike outfit for such an important ceremony, now can she? As she makes her way to the Arena, the crowd grows louder, stomping of feet and cheers echoing through the halls.

Her people are calling for her, and she shall not disappoint.

Chapter Text

Even Eula wakes up early on the day of the opening of the festival. It might have been the energy of her girlfriend tossing and turning in her sleep all night – with a few arms and hands mercilessly slapping her awake –, or the slowly ramping up rumbling sound of footsteps in the Stadium outside the Inn. Or just her own excitement for that music festival she heard so much about during her stay in Natlan, starting from Xinyan at the Children of Echoes. More than the music though, she feels a tugging urge to dance and move her body. Fights and tussles are fine, but her heart belongs to the art dancing – after her girlfriend Amber, of course.

“Hmm… mo’ning Chérie…” Said girlfriend finally wakes up as well, her eyes curving into a smile as she feels her lover gently patting her head.

After yawning and stretching, Eula looks at her right arm. On it she now wears two thin, white bracelet each with a name, and a rough direction and distance on them. Both have a different name written on them with the script from Mondstadt: Collei and Diona. Eula can see they seem to be up already, in the rough location of the Inn’s entrance.

“Let’s get ready, Amber dear. I’m sure Diona and Collei are even more excited than you to attend the festival, they’re already up.”

“Hehe! All right,” Amber giggles, still a bit out of it, but she cannot stop herself from stealing a quick kiss, before running to the bathroom to prepare.

As Eula predicted, both Collei and Diona are already up by this time. In fact they are rushing outside the Inn to look at the people coming into the Stadium City.

“Morning Collei. Little granny.”

“Ororon!” Collei turns around gingerly, her morning face replaced with a lovely smile, “You’re here early! I was worried we wouldn’t find you before the opening ceremony!”

“It wouldn’t be the same without you,” he says with a bow. “Finding your group wasn’t too hard, you’re all quiet eye caching.” Today he switched from his usual hoody and shredded coat to a simpler shirt, though it still bears eccentric patterns from the Masters of the Night-Winds.

Collei herself chose to wear an outfit she bought at the Children of Echo on Amber’s recommendations, but hadn’t dared wear until now. But today she wants to be assertive, and this garment that shows off her legs and midriff reflects her determination – and judging by Ororon’s wandering eyes, she was right to do so.

After a quick look over each other’s outfit, the two of them embrace, they kiss shyly after a brief moment of hesitation. This is all not yet completely natural to them both, but it feels just right.

“Wowza, you two are already at it this early in the morning? Way to go Collei, jeez.” Diona quickly interrupts the lovey-dovey scene with her arms crossed and her swishing tail behind her back. Today Diona doesn’t wear any saurian outfit, choosing instead to don her traveling shorts and shirt, the ones in which she is the most comfortable. No hat though, on account of the Pyro nation’s heat.

And no hat means Ororon can reach out and ruffle her hair in an energetic petting, “You look like you’ve grown up a little, Diona. Well done eating all your vegetables.”

The little cat girl hesitates between being happy to be growing up, and hating the heavy petting. “There’s no way I grew up in just a few days! And – H-Hey! Mind the ears! They’re sens… Uh?” Diona stops mid-sentence, realizing that Ororon’s petting actually fells pretty good, and he even avoids touching her ears entirely.

“Look up here, I have the same kind of ears, you see?” Ororon points to the top of his head no longer hidden by his hoody, showing off his wriggling, fluffy ears, “So I know very well not to touch them.” Diona still looks grumpy, but her subtle purring betrays her relief. She doesn’t back away from the gentleman’s attention.

Meanwhile, Collei looks up with envy at her tall boyfriend. She really wants to pet Ororon’s ears now, and maybe a bit more than that… Maybe later, when she summons the courage to ask such a thing. What she notices however is that Ororon doesn’t have one of those bracelets that she and Diona have on their forearms, even though he is still underage as well. Once again she looks down at her wrist: a white bracelet with a little arrow points towards her designated guardian: Amber. And she appears to be coming closer…

“Morning Collei! Diona! Oh, of course Ororon’s here already, haha, you devil!” The Outrider on holiday bursts out of the Inn’s door, wearing fresh clothes in the style of the Flower-Feather Clan. She obviously took a liking to the lightweightness and airiness of the skyrider’s clothes, to Eula’s both delight and concern. Eula herself meanwhile wears the outfit from the Collective of Plenty that she feels allows for the best movement – fitting for dancing. She doesn’t mind seeing her girlfriend showing off a bit of her skin, although she’d prefer to have her all for herself. But she knows very well how free Amber can be in a lot of ways – one of the reasons she fell in love so hard for her – so she lets it go and enjoys the sight of Amber excitedly discussing the morning’s plans.

The first order of business is to quickly catch a morning snack and hurry to the central Arena where the Opening Ceremony will take place.

Thankfully the organizers planned for the whole Stadium City to be quite easily traversable: all the major districts have both a color and a geometric pattern associated with them, and to reach any of those all one has to do is follow the giant lines and arrows that bear those features throughout the city. Every corner have a map with the main areas clearly legible in various scripts from over Teyvat. Thankfully the main Arena itself can be reached from five directions, and within a few minutes the group is already in the middle of a giant crowd, waiting for the opening to take place.

With a few saurian crackers bought along the way, they wait impatiently.

“So many people, wow…” Diona looks around while sitting on Eula’s shoulders, with her ears flattened on her head. Despite wearing her earplugs, she fears the noise might still overwhelm her. “Wait, isn’t that? Kachina! Heyo! Over here!”

Kachina appears to float on top of the crowd, but is instead on someone’s shoulders as well, just like Diona. Her face light up when she sees her friend.

“Xilonen, that way! I see Diona!”

The two of them slowly come together and hug up there, while their respective guardians and carriers greeting each other below, awkwardly close.

“Greetings, Miss Xilonen,” Eula says from between Diona’s legs.

“Huh, nice to meet you again, Miss Eula.”

“Hey ladies, long time no see,” Ororon says from the side. “I don’t have someone on my shoulders, but I have a beautiful lady at my arm. Does that count?”

Both Xilonen and Kachina pause for a moment. It’s the first time they’ve seen their old friend since they’ve heard about him finding a girlfriend… with said girlfriend getting self-conscious of their gazes and blushing from the off-hand compliment.

“H-Hello again?” She tries tentatively.

“Oh, so it’s you!” Kachina says excitedly, “I loved the way you danced when you were at the Children of Echoes, it was so beautiful! Ororon, you’ve got a good eye, hehe!”

“Wait, a dance? First time I hear about that. Now I want to see that,” Ororon says with a frown.

Collei smiles, “If you’re nice I might show you.”

“I’ll be on my best behavior, my lady,” Ororon takes an exaggerated bow, which makes Kachina, Diona and Amber giggle, and Eula, Xilonen and Collei cringe.

The reunion is cut short when a sudden murmur spreads throughout the crowd like a wave, turning the boiling sea of people into a still lake of expectation. All eyes are aimed at the thrown above the main stage, where the phlogiston flame from the Abyss War has just been reignited, but this time for a most festive occasion. A few whispers can be heard as the people from all over Teyvat wait. And when Mavuika finally steps on the scene, more than a few gasps greet her.

The pyro Archon appears from the side, her steps confident as ever. She wears a red, jarringly beautiful dress instead of her usual black biker bodysuit. Exhibiting her muscular body with pride, scars and all, with her tattoos shining bright. The pinnacle of humanity, some might say, with a strength rivaling the gods and already turning quite a few heads – men and women alike – especially for the tourists who see her for the first time.

“Would?” Amber whispers at Eula’s ear.

Eula smirks, of course the answer is obvious.

“Oh yeah, I would haha!”

This is not Eula answering… but an old acquaintance of hers, who appears right next to her.

“Captain Beidou! I didn’t expect you to come all this way inland,” Eula says, pleasantly surprised but trying not to show it too much.

“Bwahaha! And miss Xinyan’s dream concert?? The poor thing kept missing that Essence Tour or whatever, she didn’t show it but I knew she was feeling pretty down each time. But today’s the day I get to see our girl rock this whole nation! Aren’t that exciting?”

“Speaking of,” Amber says, shielding her eyes from the sun, “I think I saw her getting on the stage a moment ago, behind the curtains. I can’t wait to hear her at full strength!”

The crowd can’t help but rumble with chatter upon the appearance of the Pyro Archon. Yet she just has to raise an arm to silence the arena in seconds.

“Welcome to Natlan, travelers from home and from afar. It is my pleasure to open the Iridescence Tour with a tradition from Natlan, and I hope you will all join in. Please join our fellow comrades in chanting the Hymn of our nation. We used to chant this song in memory of our fellow warriors fallen at war, and now let this be a joyful reverence for the time of peace upon us!”

A shiver spreads through the crowd, as the Pyro Archon sings the first verse.

“Shambulia! Beba Silaha…”

Her voice is loud and deep, her intonation imperfect yet the heart of the song reaches every spectator. The words are in the tongue of the fierce warriors of old, the ancestors of all Natlanese who valiantly defended their lands against the Abyss, all the way to this day. As she sings, the people from the audience notice something peculiar: the vision-holders among them have their visions starting to glow, resonating with the song. Believing this to be part of the performance, most of them – Amber of course one of the most enthusiastic – raise their glowing visions high and show them up proudly, illuminating the sea of people with a glowing rainbow of colors.

On the second verse, all of the people from Natlan come in support, joining their Archon in a blood chilling rendition of the hymn they hold so dear. The eternal flame grows in strength behind Mavuika, turning into each of the elements as it absorbs a tiny amount of energy of each vision. Each absorption strengthens the seals hidden under the Stadium, all according to plan. After this initial burst the harvest will become much less, unnoticeable even, for the duration of the the whole festival.

When comes the third verse, more people from other nations join in, trying to mouth the words as best they can to follow the melody of the first verses. And on the fourth verse, the whole city is singing the hymn to Natlan and its rebirth.

No instruments, just the voice of the people, yet enough to tighten the heart of everyone inside.

“Kachina? Are you ok?” Diona suddenly realizes her friend is crying. With a tug she makes Eula get closer to give the young pika warrior in distress a warm hug.

Down below, Eula also spontaneously embraces Xilonen – or the best she can do with the little girls on both their shoulders – surprising even Eula herself.

And of course Collei makes sure to embrace Ororon as best she can, urging him to lean down a little so she can give him a proper hug.

“I’m fine though…” he says, but his voice says otherwise.

It is clear that the scars of war are still fresh for the warriors, young and old, and this kind of ceremony may help sooth their minds. Somehow the whole audience has turned into a gentle game of hugs and embraces, with friends or strangers alike. A new era of fraternity between people, as intended by the Pyro Archon, who once again regains the audience’s attention.

“Keep those heartfelt feelings in your heart, dear guests, as we finally get this Festival on the way! Allow me to present Mister Dvorak, the maître de cérémonie of the Iridescence Tour!”

A roar erupts when somehow the music aficionados remember why they are here. The festival is about to begin!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the ninth edition of the Iridescence Tour!”

Mavuika’s performance is a tough act to follow, but Dvorak enraptures the audience with the experience of a skilled entertainer. Skipping over boring presentation, he instead manages to rile up the crowd by calling out the people of each nation, from Mondstadt to Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Snezhnaya, and finally Natlan.

“Tonight’s opening performance is Miss Xinyan! A Rock’n’Roll musician who already made some waves throughout the nation, give it up for her!”

The crowd once again roars its approval, with some very loud fans of hers already make noise.

From behind the curtain of the stage loud drums start to echo in a slow, heavy beat. All the people stomp their feet and clap in the same rhythm, from the lowest arena up to the full balconies above.

At once the curtains burst up in flames, revealing the musicians within, with the main guest who starts immediately with a hellish guitar solo.

Xinyan is draped in a dark and red spiky outfit, her hair up and colored like flames. But most impressive is her make up: from her natural stern look, she’s become a scary beast, smiling with shark-like teeth and eyes shining like fire. She smiles like a devil, riffs like possessed, and the whole audience holds its breath from the solo performance. An uninterrupted flow of concordant and discordant and grueling sounds, yet pumping everyone’s blood in a rising tempo. Hellish vibes and formidable rhythms echo throughout the arena, and when the drums and bass of her fellow musicians finally join in, a whole new melody forms, throwing the audience into a frenzy.

Both Kachina and Diona recoil at first, but Xilonen and Eula’s both quickly cover each of their rider’s ears, allowing them to someone enjoy this incredible performance without suffering from their heightened perception. Amber is already jumping up and down, screaming and cheering for Xinyan who adds her deep, scratchy voice to the music. Collei and Ororon themselves can’t resist the hyped up atmosphere, jumping up and shouting with the rest.

Behind Xinyan the group recognize an old face, in particular Iansan who’s in charge of hitting the drums – her short stature may appear out of place, if it wasn’t for her perfect form and impeccable rhythm. The other musicians look to be from other nations, each recruited by Xinyan for this never before seen performance.

Each verse and deep beat is coupled with synced up flames, flares and ingenious pyrotechnics – main of all Xinyan’s flaming hair which glows and grows at intervals under the control of the master of pyrotechnics and fireworks, hidden behind the stage: Yoimiya.

The song evolves, jumping all around, with a sudden silence there, or a long sustained growl here, or an exciting eruption of pyro all around the arena. Every rule is broken, every convention challenged, and the result is a vibrating masterpiece of rock and defiance.

The spirit of resistance of Xinyan breaks through all hearts, and when her final note resounds through the City of flames, the cheers of the audience cannot stop.

The festival has begun under the best auspices, and so many performances are yet to shine!

Chapter Text

“The next song: Frost Amidst the Pillars of Fire, by your very own Local Legends, Sappho and Rilai!” Dvorak smoothly leads the transition from one musician to the other, entertaining the audience during the stage change.

The festival is on, and after its banging start people begin to come and go like flooding waters through a plain. Some of course stay for all the songs on the main stage, while others move out of the arena, preferring to keep their strength for later scheduled performances. On the balconies above the dancing arena, multiple stalls and tables with seats have been brought up for those who want a snack or a rest, or just want to enjoy the music without standing in the pit.

Obviously Amber is of those who wants to dance all day, but first the group decides to go backstage for a bit to congratulate their friend for the opening performance.

On the way, they cross a young woman covered in soot and wearing what should be a red yukata – though it is all gray now.

“Wait… don’t we know you?” Amber asks. Her pyro girl senses tell her she is someone she’s met before…

Diona gasps, “Hey, it’s the pirate lady with the wooden leg!”

“Hahaha I’m not a pirate, I’m Yoimiya, expert in fireworks! Although you’re not too far, I did an internship as a cannoneer on Beidou’s ship once… Anyways! Glad you still remember me little kitty! How are you guys doing? Oh, oh, did you like the light show? Xinyan asked me to rock the whole city for the opener, I hope that wasn’t too loud mwahaha!”

Yoimiya excitedly chatter away without letting anyone else add another word, and she quickly has to excuse herself to prepare the pyrotechnics for the next performers after promising to catch up with them at a later time.

“She’s surely committed to her job, I’ll give her that,” Xilonen says with a shrug, “She looked like Mavuika… when she was trying out my prototype motorbikes. Kept insisting on testing every feature no matter how dangerous it was. He, I guess that’s a common trait for all pyro ladies... Speaking of, here’s our, hm, rock star friend ahead.”

“Oh yeah! Let’s go congratulate her!” Amber rushes forward, but has to slow down immediately, “Congrats Xinyan! That was so fire– Oh?” Amber finds the Liyuean Rock Star in a tight embrace with Kazuha. Amber’s voice drops to a whisper, “Sorry! Didn’t mean to interrupt!”

“Bwaha it’s fine!” Xinyan laughs out loud, and after one last squeeze she lets go of her man, who appears somewhat reticent to leave her embrace. He whispers a few words in Xinyan’s ear, making her chuckle, before pulling away.

“Greetings again, ladies,” he says with a simple head bow after turning around. “How did you like Xinyan’s performance? Wonderful, was it not?”

“Says the guy who wore earplugs during it all, bwahaha!”

“It was… interesting and masterful,” Eula says with calculated words. “But I think that was too loud for the children, even with earplugs.”

“Yeah, I figured, sorry little girls!”

Diona and Kachina, down from their respective guardian’s shoulders, stay hidden behind Collei and Ororon. Ears perked up, hair fluffed out, wide eyed, both of them appear on the defensive. “You look scary…” they mumble.

“Oh yeah, that’s a killer make up, right?! The gals from the Night-Wind helped me, they’re really talented! I asked them to make me look as scary as a devil, they even gave me fake shark teeth!” Xinyan shows her toothy smile and can’t stop babbling excitedly, still not down from the high of her performance. “The only downside is, I can’t eat or drink without a straw! And Kazu will have to wait for his kisses, haha!”

“Mind you Xinyan, I’m sure our friends have more interesting places to be than the changing rooms of the stage. It’s not like they know all the artists who –”

“Oh, hey guys, you know miss Xinyan too?” Iansan appears right next to Diona, barely taller than her.

“Coach Iansan!” Eula smiles, “You were impressive on that drum!”

“Thanks, I guess?” Iansan smiles wryly, “After you left miss Xinyan came along with mister Kazuha, talking about looking for inspiration and what not. I guess the way I used drums for training made her interested?”

“Damn right!” Xinyan chuckles, “The strength, regularity and cadence of your hits are insane! You’re a drummer at heart, I tell ya! Ya should totally keep playing!”

“She is right, Sensei. You’d make a great musician. I could start teaching you more if you want, I have a certificate in musical studies after all.”

Yet another friend appears. This time it’s Kuki Shinobu who makes sure to wrap a towel around Iansan’s shoulders to help her wipe her sweat off.

“Th-Thanks Kuki, I can do that myself.” Somehow Iansan seems to appreciate the attention of her “disciple,” appearing almost shy even. A rare sight for the usually strongheaded coach.

Suddenly a little beeping sound makes everyone jump. Shinobu looks at her arm and sighs. She wears a single band which appears to glow orange.

“Sorry Sensei, I have to go for a bit. Archons knows what Itto did this time to get issued a warning from the Stadium’s staff. He was supposed to be going to the children’s zone, I hope he didn’t do anything stupid there.”

“Oh so that’s what that color means. Wait… you put a Child’s bracelet on Itto? Isn’t he an adult?” Amber asks with a subtle glance towards Collei.

“Oh he is definitely an adult alright, if you count the years. And he’s got a good, gentle heart. The heart of a child, that is, with roughly the same maturity. Brain-wise though? He’s midway between a rock and an onikabuto, if the bug had fallen down a cliff at birth and hit its head on all the rocks on the way down.” Shinobu sighs again, “Sorry, I have to go take care of Boss.”

“I’ll go with you,” Iansan says with a nod. “I didn’t put a bracelet on Varesa, but I’m afraid she’s lost a few braincells herself since she’s started going out with that Boss of yours. I can only suppose that the two of them have been causing trouble together wherever they’ve been…”

Both Iansan and Shinobu sigh in unison, then smile at each other, before saying a quick goodbye and leave in a hurry.

Ororon leans over to Collei, “Is it me or did Iansan look very happy just now? I think she quite likes miss Shinobu’s presence. To think she’d go out of her way to play in the festival…”

Collei takes a few seconds to reply. “They look like good friends, yes! D-Do you think there is more?” Immediately Collei starts to imagine scenarios from the novels she read with Citlali.

“Either way, this should make Iansan’s mother happy.”

With her temporary drummer now gone, Xinyan beams, “Well that was nice of y’all to visit, but I gotta prepare for my next performance! I’m booked for all three days at various times and places, but I’ll take some breaks of course. Maybe we can hang out then? There’s a quiz event tonight, if it’s music themed there is no way I’ll miss it! Join us if you can!”

Amber nods vigorously, and after one last exchange, the group leaves the backstage where numerous musicians wait for their turn for the main stage. As they leave, they see Dvorak change into yet another costume – a glittering suit – before rushing back on stage to present the next performer.

“Ororon and I are going to check out the Competition Stage, and we’ll go back to the main arena,” Collei says with a glance at her notes, “We can meet back later for lunch?”

Eula nods, “Very well, we’ll get Diona and Kachina to the Children’s show. Hopefully it’ll be more appropriate for their ages.”

Amber hugs Collei quickly, “See you later, and have fun!” She lets go of her grown up little sister with a wink, gives Ororon a meaningful glance, and let’s them go their own way.

“See ya Collei!” Diona shouts while waving her little paw.

Eula leans over her girlfriend to whisper, although the noise of the raving city makes her raise her voice slightly, “Don’t think I didn’t see you take Collei’s tracking bracelet.”

“Ah, oops?”

“You should have talked to me about it before doing such a thing. You do know there is a function to disable tracking on both bands with the guardian’s approval, yes?”

“Huh? R-Really? But what’s the use then?”

“For the children to call for help of course. Did you really not read the instructions?”

“I thought I’d read it later… and I figured I’d rely on you for that. Hehe!”

“Don’t ‘hehe’ me Amber, I know you well enough now to know that was deliberate. You wanted Collei to feel free to move and do what she wants with her boyfriend, right?”

“You know me too well, ma Chérie!” Amber gives a peck on Eula’s cheek and wraps her arm around her back to prevent her from adding this to her list of vengeance. “Now come on, let’s get to the Children’s Stage! I think it’s going to start soon!”

“Yeah!” Diona cheers and let Kachina lead her by the hand ahead of Amber, Eula and Xilonen.

Somehow the group does not realize that they are actually going in the same direction as Iansan and Shinobu earlier.

“Halt, show your children’s bands please.”

A guard stops them from entering the Children’s zone at the entrance. After carefully checking that the adults’ bracelets match those of the children, the Flower-Feather Clan native nods and smiles, “Enjoy the Children’s Festival!”

Eula nods approvingly. The whole zone is surrounded by a powerful spell to prevent any unregistered outsider to come inside without proper identification. No doubt the Pyro Archon and the organizers went to serious lengths to ensure the security of the kids. To go from a war ridden nation where even children were sent to fight, to such a well organized country with this clear emphasis on children’s wellbeing… Is is clear the nation of Pyro is looking towards the future optimistically.

“Woooow! I can’t believe she’s here! Come Kachina, you’ll love her!” Diona runs towards the stage having recognized the person singing there, pulling along an already laughing Kachina through the children’s crowd in front of the stage. Both of them are wearing a different saurian mask they were handed as they came inside – and both of them chose a tepetlisaur.

The children’s stage and arena are of course smaller than the main stage, equipped with seating areas with comfy cushions for all the kids, and guardrails all around to make sure none of the little menace runs out into who knows where. On the sides of the arena, benches are lined up for the parents to keep an eye on their children while they watch the shows.

To Amber and Eula’s surprise, the very first entertainer currently on stage to welcome the children is none other than the Deaconess of the Church of Favonius: the rising idol, Barbara!

She sings a nursery rhyme a capella, a gentle soothing melody from Mondstadt with no words, that has all the children in her grasp already. Even the most rowdy and excited kids who arrive soon fall under the spell of her angelic voice. Each find a place of their own near old friends, or soon new ones.

While they keep an eye on Diona and Kachina, Amber and Eula walk around the arena to take a look at the facility. The stage itself is but one part of the Children’s zone. There is also a large activity area for sports, music and games, a wading pool, a small petting zoo, and a tent area for sleepovers.

As they look around the activity zone, they come upon an unexpected sight.

Eula squints her eyes in disbelief, “Okay, so Iansan and Shinobu have found Itto and Varesa… who are kneeling in front of Madam Arlecchino?”

Both Amber and her are too curious to walk away. They approach, hoping to get some gossip.

“C’mon Ma’am, I swear we’re not looking for trouble! This here’s the playing field, right? We just came to play with the kids!” Itto is on his knees, seemingly begging Arlecchino.

The tall lady wears a large band over her shoulder with a clear title: “Children’s Security.”

“Mister… Itto, and Miss Varesa, is it? This is a Children’s playground. Adults are only authorized on the premises to supervise their own children, or as part of vetted staff.” A look of utter disdain appears on her face, “And you do not appear to be either of these.”

“What do you mean? We’re both registered as entertainers! Look at my badge!”

Itto frenetically shows off the orange-hued bracelet on his arm.

Arlecchino hisses, “This is a child’s band, and I already registered a warning for it. Who did you get it from?”

“From me.” Kuki Shinobu finally intervenes after having watched to see how her boss would get himself out of this mess… and he obviously did not. “I’ve registered both of us as helper staff for the children area, and this is Itto’s actual badge, which he forgoy to take with him this morning. Also, here are our certificates, stamped for equivalency by the education bureau from Natlan.”

“Shinobu! My savior!” Itto pleads.

“Shut it boss, let me handle this.” Itto whines but lowers his head under the wrathful eyes of his subordinate.

Arlecchino takes out her glasses and scrutinizes with great attention the badge and documents Shinobu just gave her.

“And why does Mister Itto have a child’s band on his arm?”

“That’s because I wanted a simple way to track him,” Shinobu says with a shrug, “I knew his appearance and demeanor might get him in trouble.”

“Hey!”

“Shh.”

“… Very well, as for you, miss… Varesa?”

“Same thing,” Iansan says. She also produces her own documents for Arlecchino to peruse.

A couple of tense minutes pass as the Head of Children’s Security reads the forms in her hands. After a while she removes her glasses and seethes audibly.

“All seems to be in order, but let me make myself clear: if I see either of you do anything inappropriate or unruly, then you shall be very sorry for your transgression. Getting kicked out will be the least of your worries. Understood?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Both Itto and Varesa nod vigorously on their knees.

Meanwhile Amber and Eula kept themselves hidden for the whole scene.

“Yikes, did you really fight that woman? She is tough!” Amber whispers with a wry smile.

“Hmph, she was strong and our fight got interrupted mid way but… I could’ve taken her.” Eula proudly boasts, with her head held high.

“Hihi, I know, I know! Anyway, the problem is resolved… let’s go back and see how Diona is doing! Hm? Wait, where did Xilonen go?”

“Really, you only realize she’s gone now? She was happy to let Kachina handle herself and left earlier. After all Diona’s little friend used to be a warrior… She probably doesn’t need that child’s band, but it’s a good thing to let her enjoy activities suitable for her age.”

“Agreed! Now let’s go check the stage!”

“… You look as excited as any of those children, Amber. That’s your Ludi Haspartum face, actually.”

“Yeah! I wish I could stay and play with the kids, but…” Amber wraps her arms around Eula and pulls her girlfriend closely against her. With her head resting on Eula’s chest, she smiles seductively. “I want to spend more adult time with you, my love.”

Eula blushes and has to look away from her adorable bunny girlfriend’s face on her bosom, “We shall see how well you behave.”

The two of them go back to the children’s stage to check back on Diona, hand in hand. Barbara’s introductory song is almost finished, and most the children have taken their seat in front of the stage. The show is about to begin!

Chapter Text

“Let the show begin!” Barbara shouts with all her might, throwing water bubbles in the form of stars and music notes over her young audience. The children swipe the air to grasp the bubbles, but of course they burst on contact! Thankfully it only makes the kids giggle and continue playing, now fully invested in the idol’s performance on the stage.

Amber and Eula look fondly as Diona and her friend Kachina get fully immersed into the children’s show – almost forgetting them, which is the perfect time for the couple to go back to the main stage of the festival. After checking their bracelets, they finally leave the children’s area relieved to see Diona is good company.

Upon leaving however they are met with an interesting sight: a whole group of Melusines is holding up the line to enter the premises, with their guardian in deep talk with the guards.

“Monsieur Neuvillette?” Eula asks, “Is everything alright?”

“Ah, Miss Eula,” Neuvillette nods politely while adjusting the glasses on his nose, “Quite, although I should have expected this kind of problem when I brought our twelve children at once. Numerous families like this are rare indeed.”

“I’m sorry Sir, this is the procedure. I need the proof of guardianship for every child in a group bigger than six. Once you’re fully registered it’ll be alright and you’ll be able to come and go freely, but…”

“Don’t apologize,” Neuvillette shakes his head, “I would not have you break the law of such an important event. Here, these are the last documents you requested.”

The cute little Melusines wait around all fidgety, looking up at Amber and Eula with curiosity while their father handles the bureaucracy. Something he is very much used to as someone originating from Fontaine.

“Hey, is Diona with you?” The littlest Melusine asks, and all the others look up at Eula expectantly.

“Yes, she’s already inside. She’s to the right next of the stage, next to another girl with long ears: you can’t miss them.”

One by one each Melusine’s face turns into a smile, “Thank you!” they all reply as one.

“Don’t let me stop you,” Neuvillette says, seeing Amber and Eula waiting awkwardly by his side. “Furina should be at the main stage by now, I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you both again, and your kind Sumerian friend as well.”

Both and Eula and Amber thank the Iudex and scurry back towards the heavy, rhythmic noises of the central area.

As they walk arm in arm through the crowd, they realize how lively the whole city has become. Yet every other minute Eula takes an anxious look at her armband.

“Relax, if there’s any problem with Diona it will be obvious,” Amber says with a smirk.

Eula rolls her eyes, but she understand what Amber means. Today is a day of entertainment, she should enjoy the moment.

It doesn’t take long for the two of them to get back to the main arena, now turned into a giant dance floor. On the stage a single person stands, mixing music discs to great effect with intricate lighting plays, instead of pyrotechnics. Xilonen smiles under her headphones – custom made to fit her cat ears – as she shifts left and right to the rhythm of her music, her tail swaying elegantly behind her back.

“Amber, over here!” Collei calls out, suddenly appearing in front of them. Sweating abundantly, red in the face, yet with a beaming smile, the Forest Ranger on vacation is obviously having a blast. “Xilonen played a mix of Sumeru and Natlanese songs just now! It was incredible! Right Ororon?”

“Y-Yeah, but can we take a break? I’m getting thirsty, and you look like a ripe tomato.”

“Ahaha, he’s right, you should breathe a little Collei!” Amber laughs out loud, excited and happy to see her sister letting loose.

But just as they were going to agree, Xilonen switches to a new track with a complex series of scratches.

“Oh my God, it’s a Mondstadt’s song!” Amber jumps up and down.

“And it’s mixed with the Sumeru music from earlier!” Collei claps her hands excitedly.

The two of them join hands and immediately start dancing, mixing steps and motions from their respective countries. They stumble and laugh as they try to follow the rich rhythm of the songs intermixed by Xilonen. The talented DJ merges the mood of both far away countries, romance, spice, freedom and wisdom mix on the dance floor, as the red bunny and the green serval binky and hop around excitedly.

Amber and Collei happily dance together, as they like to do at every Ludi Haspartum since Collei has been cured of her Eleazar. But this time Collei looks truly free, twisting and showing off like never before, making Nilou proud – and Ororon envious. The smile on their faces is contagious, and the people around – most foreign to both nations – start to imitate their steps and moves. Before long most of the arena dances and hops to the wonderful beats of the anemo and dendro songs. Any Spantamad scholar would say that the two elements never mix in reality, but Xilonen manages to make them flow effortlessly from one to the other. To the Natlanese people dancing around, it has an exotic, thrilling taste, a fresh call for the distant lands.

After a while Eula jumps in, playfully stealing Amber away from Collei, while Ororon appears behind his girlfriend with a surprise hug.

“Another dance?” he whispers.

Collei giggles and turns around, “Did you get a rest? Let’s see if you can follow that one!”

“Please be gentle,” he says with a wry smile.

The festival is in full swing now, but even the most endurant dancers and performers have to take a break.

On the large balcony looking over the large arena, Amber, Eula and Collei look for a table to rest at. Ororon went to speak to Xilonen during her break, leaving the three ladies to their own design. They find a table… with a couple of dendro and pyro ladies they have met before.

“Oh my, Collei!” Emilie says with surprise and a welcoming smile. She scouts over to make some room on the bench, and the three ladies sit down with Emilie and her friend. Her now close friend, Hu Tao, leans on her elbows on the table, looking at the new arrivals with a mischievous smile.

“So you are the ones who led that Mondstadt/Sumeru dance?” she says with sparkling blossoms in her eyes, “That was wonderful! We should totally bring that kind of mix to our Lantern Rite festival! Our usual celebrations are always so… uptight? Traditional? Except for Xinyan, but she prefers to perform in hidden alleys, away from the Millilith… It might sound weird coming from me, but we need to bring some more life to these festivals!”

“True,” Emilie says as she sips her cup of tea, “We have the same problem in Fontaine. Our fêtes are refined and well liked, but they lack cultural representation. Worst, when they do they overuse stereotypes. There is a limit to how proud a nation should be, I say.”

Collei looks with wide eyes as the two of them agree with each other so readily. Back when they met briefly at the Masters of the Night-Wind, they looked to be at each other’s throats. What happened since then?

After a while Amber comes back to the table after getting them all a drink, including for Hu Tao who winks at her. “Thanks, I’ll buy the next round, miss Amber!”

“No problem!”

A secret pyro spark flies between the two as they clink their glasses, and before long they start chatting like long friends.

Emilie sighs, “I can’t believe how Mademoiselle Hu can babble for so long. She even registered for that “rap” party, which is tomorrow I think. How competitive can she be?”

Collei nods, “Oh yeah, Amber is like that too. If there’s a race you can bet she’ll be at the start!”

Eula smiles, “Indeed, how much more lovely can she be?”

Emilie and Collei share a glance. She didn’t say anything until now, but seeing Eula stare longingly at Amber with an unmistakable smile makes them both self-conscious.

Collei starts fidgeting. Ororon’s face appears in her mind, and now she can’t wait to see him again. Would she look too eager if she went to look for him this early?

Meanwhile, Emilie looks at Hu Tao with a frown and a complex expression, as if trying to process her own thoughts.

Sparks of budding feelings float around, on the dance floor and above.

“Oh, Xinyan’s back at it!” Amber stands up, pointing at the stage down below with excitement.

“Okay, let’s go Amber! As a long-time fan, I have to show you how to really enjoy our rock star’s songs!” Hu Tao follows, and she tries to pull Emilie with her, who resists weakly. Hu Tao smiles teasingly, “What? Worried your glasses will get all foggy again? I told you, you can leave them at the inn.”

“You know I can’t see far without them, I’ll get lost.”

“I’ll hold your hand, silly.”

Eula chuckles as she enjoys the cute bickering. “I can take care of your glasses if you’d like, Miss Emilie. I’m going to stay here and have a few more drinks. This music is not exactly to my taste, although I see the appeal, of course.”

Hu Tao winks at her and snatches Emilie’s glasses, before booping her noise playfully, “See? Now come here and let me show you how we dance Liyue’s rock!”

Although reluctantly, Emilie let’s herself get dragged by a very peppy and happy Hu Tao, following Amber who’s already ahead.

“What about you Collei?” Eula asks.

It’s a question with an obvious answer. Collei has been scouring the crowd, in search of someone – easy to guess who – and she’s certainly not in the mood for a drink.

“...I’ll look for Ororon,” she finally admits with a tinge of red on her cheeks, but a determined smile.

“Very well, I’ll stay here. We’ll meet again tonight, okay? Maybe we’ll have time for that quiz game Xinyan mentioned.”

“Okay… Thanks Eula.” Collei gives her a quick hug before disappearing with quick, light steps.

The heavy beat and fast growl of the guitar below is thankfully not as jarring as earlier, and Eula can finally relax. Her eyes are of course on her girlfriend, who dances once again with abandon with that strange Liyuan girl and her Fontainian girl friend. Girlfriend? Still unclear, but there is probably something between them.

Just as she starts sipping her beer – imported from Mondstadt, a taste of home – someone claps her shoulder roughly. A bit of foam falls on her chest as a result.

“Hello Eula! Ah, sorry about that!”

“Captain Beidou,” Eula says as she takes out her handkerchief, “I should’ve known you’d be up here.”

“Land’s too dry and a sailor needs hydration, haha! C’mon, let’s toast!”

The rough and muscular Beidou takes her seat and cheers, clinking her mug with Eula’s. After a while Beidou leans over the table, as though about to divulge a secret plan to unearth a treasure.

“Right, so, I told you I had my eyes on that Pyro Archon lady, right?”

“… You weren’t joking?”

“Well, I kinda was at first, but damn if she isn’t smoking hot, it’d be a shame not to try! So I was thinking… can you give me a hand?”

Eula frowns, but she cannot help but feel curious. “What do you have in mind?”

“So, I heard there’s a kind of game tonight, as a side to the festival. A game that requires teams…”