Collei dragged her feet across the ground in exhaustion, trying to keep up with Tighnari, who trotted ahead with significantly more energy.

Too stubborn to call for a break, Collei trekked on. Focusing on her feet, she avoided rocks carefully, knowing all too well that tripping was more painful than expected.

Squinting ahead, her eyes followed a glistening lake's sunset-painted surface. The fog was heavy at the time, so she couldn't see much further, but the high peaks of a spinning windmill penetrated the heavy cloud of fog. She felt excitement and nervous energy bubble up within her chest despite her lack of energy.

She could see her again.

"Come, Collei, we must rest. We'll be in the city by tomorrow evening," Tighnari reassured.

"Of course master Tighnari," Collei nodded, taking off her backpack and opening her bedroll.

Tighnari opened his own and laid it out on one of the grassier surfaces, attempting to avoid all of the sharp stones scattered throughout the green grass. The reason there were so many rocks on top of this hill was a long-forgotten mystery.

"Remember it's only a few days," Tighnari mentioned as he settled down.

"I know, three days so you can catch up and share scholarly information with Lisa," Collei replied, already having heard this speech. "When I decided to come along, you drilled it into my head."

"Sorry," Tighnari appologized. "I simply don't want you getting your hopes up. I know you'll want to stay extra long."

"Whenever I travel with you to the desert and you insist to stay extra long with your boyfriend, I don't complain. Why won't you let me stay longer?" Collei pouted.

"Not this point again, Collei. This is why I keep telling you over and over- no negotiation! And Cyno isn't anything more than a friend to me," Tighnari sighed, rubbing his temples as he laid on his back in his bedroll.

Collei rolled on her side to look at Tighnari, who was about four feet away.

"I know, we're on a time crunch. But I never get to travel outside Sumeru," Collei breathed deeply, rolling onto her back in the same position Tighnari was in. "And..."

Collei let her voice die off as the two green-haired friends stared at the stars. Collei hadn't admitted to Tighnari the real reason she'd insisted on coming, she didn't have the words to.

Everytime she wanted to talk about her, it was as if speaking became foreign, and nervous energy replaced the spot it once occupied... she made her anxious, but excited, in a twisting way that sent her into a spiral of confusing emotion.

Collei held Cuilein-Anbar close to her chest as she gazed up at the night sky. It was more clear and brilliant than ever in Mondstadt: Sumeru's rainforests fogged up the sky with clouds quite often, and trees blotted out the lights.

She could picture Amber perfectly in her mind from the last time she saw her. When she was just a survivor of Fatui experamentation, trying to run and escape from herself. But she had grown since then: She'd gained a Sumeru Dendro vision, become a forest watcher under master Tighnari, and even overcome Eleazar. Amber was what at kept her going that whole time.

—

Collei woke up to Tighnari gently calling her name. Blinking her eyes open and stifling a yawn, she saw that the sun wasn't even up yet. Then she saw it.

Leaping from her bedroll, she looked out over the edge of the gently curved hill.

Rust red peaks were clearly visible under the glistening of the setting moon. Faint light reflecting on the lake promised a sunrise soon, and the streets of the city were already bustling with little figures of people. Collei could feel the buzz of her now all too familiar nervous excitement.

"Pack your things," Tighnari brought Collei back to reality.

Obeying, Collei gathered all of her supplies. Her backpack was left unopened since the beginning of the journey, jam-packed full with who knows what. Tighnari had told Collei to empty it due to the weight and unnecessary size, but she insisted she could handle it and that it was necessary.

Tying Cuilein-Anbar to her backpack's side and attaching her rolled up bedroll on top with string made of rainforest vines, Collei bounced back onto her feet and followed Tighnari, who'd started trekking down the hill.

Collei took in the view. A rising sun greeted merry birdsong and a perfect breeze that caressed the hills: she's never seen such a beautiful land. She had expected the lack of towering trees to frighten her, but she realized then that it brought her comfort. Comfort in seeing all that was around her without tree trunks interrupting her view, comfort within the soft wind, comfort in an ancient familiarity.

After half an hour of hiking, Collei was exhausted already. Her bedroll had unrolled from the backpack and fallen to the ground ten minutes back, and she tripped over it when trying to retrieve it. In a sour mood, Collei's brain was solely focused on how much faceplanting into mud hurt.

An hour later, Collei was near collapsing, and Tighnari called a break.

Another hour later, and Collei was walking through a small forest toward a town beside Mondstadt's main city. The people were welcoming and the children were curious. Collei hid behind Tighnari for a bit at the start, nervous her foreign looks might scare someone off... But she soon felt comfortable around the welcoming folk.

They spent the night in Springvale. The Mondstadt architecture was fascinating to Collei, she couldn't help but notice how tall and pointed the structures were. She'd almost forgotten. The sudden memories popped into her head:

Mondstadt in front of her, a symbol of freedom. She wanted to be free. Looking behind her, Collei scuttled toward the entrance of the gates, when she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Trying to contain the burning evil within her, she slipped past the guards and through the gates.

A carriage rolled out of the city, pulled by two beautiful horses.

Amber, sweet innocent smile and all, bringing her around the festival grounds. She felt changed then: like maybe Mondstadt's promise of freedom was attainable.

Shaking herself back to reality, Collei rested her head on her feather pillow. She didn't want to think about the past.

"Master Tighnari?" Collei asked into the darkness of their shared hotel room.

"Yes?" Tighnari's reply came.

"How do you feel about Mondstadt?" Collei questioned. She wanted to take her mind off of her unfortunate experience and on to the positives.

"It's not as crowded as the forest, yet not as open as the desert," Tighnari took a moment to respond. "It's a mild temperature. There is always soft wind. To me, it is the perfect neutrality between two opposing worlds in which I've come to know. It is a balance. I generally enjoy it here, although I've only been once."

"I like it here too," Collei smiled to herself.

"Don't bring up that you want to stay longer, again," Collei could feel Tighnari squinting at her through the dark.

"I'm not plotting anything!" Collei defended herself.

"Mhmmm," Tighnari judged, then added sarcastically: "And you're not one to plot."

"...Okay I plot some things sometimes," Collei admitted. "But- ugh, whatever. That's all beside the point. The point is Mondstadt's beautiful and no, I'm not twisting this into a guilt trip about how this poor girl who's only dream is to see the wonderful land of Mondstadt for just a few days longer-"

Collei stopped when she saw Tighnari's eyes glaring at her. Well, more so sensed, due to the darkness of the sky at the time.

"...good night," Collei muttered, rolling on her side on top of the thick layer of blankets she was provided with.

Glaring out the window at her eye-height, a large fir tree blotted out her view of the landscape. That didn't prevent her from seeing Mondstadt, though. She closed her eyes and pictured it in her head:

She'd walk through the castle-like gates of stone with Tighnari. The two would go to the Favonius headquarters where Lisa worked in the library, so Tighnari could do what he came to do. She planned to sneak out, however. Collei knew Amber must have been somewhere in the headquarters, so she planned to look around.

Of course, that's if Amber didn't see her first.

Oh, that thought had her caught every time. Again with the nervous excitement. She couldn't wait to see her friend again, don't get me wrong... But she didn't know what to say. Her brain, even before seeing Amber, froze at the imaginative sight of her.

Get it together, Collei. Collei stuffed her head deeper into her pillow. Just say hi. She'll do the same. She'll probably squeal like she does- she's brave, she wouldn't feel nervous. I know Amber would be excited... why can't I get rid of this anxiety? She's my friend... unless she's forgotten about me.

Collei squeezed her eyes tightly shut and bit her lip. No. She didn't want to think about that.

Trying her best to erase the thought from her mind, Collei finally found some peace and fell asleep.

—

Collei woke to the morning sun. Tighnari must've let her sleep in.

Not even bothering to stretch or yawn, Collei stood up quickly, ruffling her hair into an acceptable condition and ensuring her stuff was all prepared for the final walk into the gates of Mondstadt.

"I see someone's excited," Tighnari noted from across the small hotel room.

"I can't wait to see A-" Collei smoothly corrected herself: "-nother beautiful city!"

"Good, because we leave when you are prepared," Tighnari nodded affirmatively.

Collei watched from her peripheral vision as Tighnari packed his own materials. He had only taken off his boots and cape for the night, two easy items to attach back onto his person. Tighnari was done packing when Collei was only halfway done rolling up her bedroll, but he stood patiently until the other finished.

The moment she stepped outside, Collei felt the energy again. Nervousness and excitement would plague her mind for the whole trip, it seemed.

Tighnari and Collei waved goodbye to the innkeeper and trekked along the dirt path.

Birdsong echoed along with the soft sound of wind-pulled waves clashing against the lake side. The ruffle of grass and scatter of rocks under Collei's feet wasn't as familiar sounding as the wooden planks and tall, wet rainforest plants... but it held a certain nostalgia.

A nostalgia that reminded her of Amber. Smiling to herself in a nervous way, already feeling anxiety, she wanted to know why her thoughts always came back to the fiery girl.

Tighnari had told her once, before her Eleazar had been cured, that to make it through pain and suffering, one must find comfort in something they can confide in. She had been in an especially dark place at the time, and as Tighnari left the room to tend to the ever-growing Withering plaguing the woods, Collei held to that thought.

What had kept her going? What could she confide in to remind herself of hope?

The instant thought had been of Amber. She had given Collei a new beginning. And so collei used her image to reshape herself and create a new, better person that she'd come to enjoy. She based her skillset on Amber, learned to use the bow, she even created her own Barron Bunny and a Dendro-based version.

She gained a vision and incorporated it into her skillset based on Amber, she became a protector of the land, like Amber. She perfected gliding by spending nights in the trees, all striving to be Amber. Amber had done everything for Collei without knowing it.

But thinking of Amber in this way only made her more nervous. She didn't want to bother Tighnari with it, but the buzzing in her chest annoyed her. She felt as if she were guilty for something.

"Collei," Tighnari called from a few feet ahead.

"Yeah?" Collei asked.

"You look as if you aren't here," Tighnari mentioned. "I pictured you having quite the opposite reaction when seeing Mondstadt's gates."

"But we aren't-" Collei glanced away from Tighnari's eyes, and noticed the towering stone structures ahead.

She'd been so focused on her thoughts and staring at her feet that she hadn't even noticed how the path gradually turned to more compressed dirt, and that ahead of her a long stone bridge stretched out toward the city of wind.

Nervous excitement, again. This time, though, it was coursing through all of her. She felt suddenly shy, but she smiled with enthusiasm. The contradicting feelings clashed together into a confusing creation of emotion. Tighnari clearly saw her expression change, and he chuckled in response.

"We can not stand here forever; I'm ready to try some Mondstadt cuisine, aren't you?" Tighnari asked Collei amusedly, and began walking across the bridge.

Collei forced her feet into motion. Something inside her kept telling her to turn around and run, but the other half of her wanted joy and energy. Why did Amber do this to her? She didn't remember ever feeling this way. Maybe it was the built up love for the outrider's personality and actions that she'd imagined her friend to be a hero on another level. Who wouldn't be nervous to be their role-model?

Mondstadt's lively attitude was even more upbeat than she remembered. Even though she was confident there wasn't an active festival, the people seemed happier in their every day lives. Collie took a deep, stuttering breath as the gates passed above her head.

The two Sumerians were largely ignored by the public except for the occasional glances, proving how culturally diverse they were. As they neared Good Hunter, Collie abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"Collei?" Tighnari asked, concerned.

"Shhh," Collie shushed him.

Tighnari was about to protest, but instead remained quiet as Collei listened intently.

Boisterous calls from merchants and restaurant owners obstructed the sound, but Collei knew she heard it. Amber's voice was very specific.

Looking around, Collei's eyes scanned Mondstadt for any speck of red around. A flower, a banner, a poster, a sign, a Pyro vision... then she spotted it. Amber's signature headband, just peeking out from behind a restaurant's privacy fence.

Then Amber stood up, her full smiling face visible at a side angle. Her meal partner stood with her, it was Kaeya, and the two shook hands in a friendly way. Kaeya turned to leave, and Amber watched him go before glancing at the street.

Her eyes flicked around right past Collei. Then she saw Amber visibly gasp, turning her full body toward Collei.

"COLLEI?" Amber shouted the question.

Without time to react, Amber lept over the fence and sprinted across the street. In a moment where her nervous excitement unbalanced and anxiety won, Collei tried to move her feet to hide behind Tighnari, but she thought better of it. It was Amber. Look how excited she was. Why would she hide?

Amber came to a skirting halt in front of Collei, her eyes shining with pure joy. She was careful not to touch Collei, and the gesture made her overflow with gratefulness.

"You look amazing!" Amber exclaimed. "How've you been?!"

"Good," Collei whispered, then clearned her throat and tried again: "Amazing, actually!"

"That's AWESOME!" Amber jumped up and down. "Why're you here? Can we hang out later? Wanna get some food? IS THAT A VISION?!"

Collei chuckled lifted the vision so Amber could examine it.

"Sumeru, eh? That's so cool! And Dendro! I've never met a dendro-wielder. It's so pretty! Do you think our elements would make a good team?" Amber ranted.

"After you helped me I left for Sumeru in hopes of something new, and I found it, Amber! I'm so happy there and it's all thanks to you," Collei overcame her nervousness.

"Aw," Amber smiled.

"I became a trainee forest watcher," Collei told her friend, who's eyes widened. "And I trained myself in the bow. Oh!"

Collei suddenly remembered something.

"I made this," Collei shrugged her backpack to one shoulder and opened the overflowing slipknot that held it together.

Red bunny-like ears protruded from the drawstring, and Collei reached deep into the bag before she pulled out a Baron Bunny.

"I made this for you. I know you already have your own and you can make plenty but umm," Collei couldn't find the words for a moment as she looked at Amber's excitedly curious expression. "I thought well- maybe if I made one for you, it'd bring you luck. I worked really hard on it and thought it'd be a great gift to you."

"I LOVE IT!" Amber cheered, smiling widely.

Collei chuckled, releasing all of the nerves that had built up in her system along the way to Mondstadt. She knew all along Amber would be welcoming and kind, she hadn't known why all the nervousness had taken her over.

"I really missed you," Collei admitted.

"Is..." Amber paused for a second. "Is it okay if I hug you?"

Collei laughed and wrapped her arms around Amber, who was surprised that Collei would even accept the offer.

Tighnari, meanwhile, had taken a hint and decided to leave the two girls to catch up. He ordered some food for the two shorter vision-holders, and left it on the table where Amber and Collei had decided to sit while they caught up.

The forest watcher then headed up toward the library to complete the actual mission he was here for: a catch up information-share with Lisa, a former Akademiya student whom Tighnari heard became quite powerful in Mondstadt.

With Tighnari gone, Collei felt herself relax completely into Amber's presence. Her pyro counterpart blabbered on about annoying weather and lack of activity around the city.

"Oh! And I was meaning to ask," Amber took a bite from some of the food Tighnari bought them. "What's that?"

Collei followed her finger towards the side of her backpack where Cuilein-Anbar was strung.

"This is..." Collei hesitated, wondering if admitting the name of her plush would be embarrassing or not. But it was Amber, she would never judge her, so she decided it was fine. "Cuilein-Anbar."

"What's it do?" Amber asked.

Collei detached her plush from her backpack and held it out for Amber to hold. Picking it up, Amber examined all sides of it.

"It's a weapon," Collei chuckled at Amber's curiosity. "It explodes dendro damage and then continuously attacks. I haven't perfected it yet, though."

"Explodes dendro?" Amber asked, then suddenly she lit up. "Baron Bunny and Cuilein-Anbar together in combat would create the COOLEST reaction! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Collei smirked and Amber stood up.

"To Windrise?" Amber questioned.

"Let's go burn some grass," Collei reached a fist out to Amber.

Amber fist bumped her back, and the two girls ran off together, Collei clutching a Baron Bunny and Amber closely holding Cuilein-Anbar.

"That's the main reason you really came, isn't it?" Lisa asked Tighnari, who stood with her as they stared out the window upon Mondstadt's streets.

"Definitely," Tighnari nodded, watching Collei genuinely smile as she laughed with Amber.

"You know, you may need to stay a few more days," Lisa mentioned.

Tighnari sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right."