Collei didn't expect to see a man hanging from a tree on her way to the city.

It was a bright day too, so she wasn't sure how he could've missed his mark so badly. His glider- a foreign one, maybe Inazuman- was torn in two. His clothes seemed in tact, and he was hanging on well, albeit in a convoluted way. If he moved, he would surely fall, and that glider wouldn't catch him this time.

"Hang on!" she called up to him. She couldn't sworn she heard a quiet 'No problem!', but she wouldn't think too hard on if it was sarcastic. She dropped her bag by the trunk and began to climb.

Through a series of awkward turns and apologizes at embarrassing holds, she managed to stable him on a branch, and that was when she got a good look of his face. He was a handsome man. Eyes as green as her hair, hair that loosely falling around his shoulders. She thought she'd seen a ribbon fall out in the chaos. She looked down to avoid staring and saw it resting on the ground beside a polearm and something shiny.

"Thanks, I'm-" the man started, but Collei had already jumped from the tree. The embarrassment of cutting him off made her cheeks turn bright red. As red as the pyro vision that seemed to be the source of that shine before. If he had a vision, he would be fine now. She, on the other hand, needed to escape this encounter before embarrassment ate her alive.

"No problem!" she called whilst grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. In a flash, she took off toward the city once again. She was desperate for anything to distract her from the shame of cutting off a stranger.

~*~*~*~*~

The city of Mondstadt was exactly how she remembered it. The warmth off of the cobblestone paths, the smell of freshly cooked meals, the hustle and bustle of a people not burdened by sorrow. She couldn't stop herself from smiling. She hurried up the stairs towards the knights of Favonis' headquarters in search of her old friend and gliding partner. She got ten steps up before hearing a voice.

"Collei?" a familiar call came from Good Hunter. And who else could it be? Amber was smiling from ear to ear. She abandoned her meal (and friends) to meet Collei halfway with a hug. The two held tightly as they embraced for the first time in years.

"I didn't know you were coming back!" Amber exclaimed. "I totally would have cleared my schedule. How long are you here for? How have you been?"

Amber pulled away and held Collei by her shoulders. The younger girl just smiled. "A week or two. My teacher said I needed some time to learn how to relax," she replied, trying to mock how stuffy Tighnari could sound. Apparently she got it right if Ambers laugh meant anything.

"You should stay with me! We can have a sleepover tonight. I've got to finish up this meal over some 'business'," she held up her fingers in quotes. "But we can catch up after! How's about the courtyard by the training grounds? It's right where you remember!"

Again, Collei smiled. "That sounds good." And that was that. Amber returned to a duo of a golden-haired individual and their flying pixie. She decided to take the free time to explore the city. That same warmth of the cobblestones filled her as she found city exactly as she'd left it. Minutes grew longer as she dipped down side streets, and as time passed on, though she would've loved to continue exploring, she went to the courtyard to wait.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour passed. Collei went back to Good Hunter for a meal to pass the time. Amber likely had her duty to attend to- and when she asked Sara, her theory was confirmed. She ordered something to eat for while she would need to wait. Only when she reached in her bag for her coin pouch, a hand was already reaching past her, handing the mora to Sara. Her gaze when up and back to lock eyes with a smiling man. The same man who was hanging upside down two hours previous.

"Consider this my thank-you," he spoke, and she found his voice disarming. "I'm Thoma."

Something about his stature and disregard for her sudden earlier department made her feel at ease. That, and the fact that he had just paid for her meal.

Thoma looked up at Sara. "Please make that two. I'd love to have a Mondstadt speciality again."

Collei moved out of the way so that they could complete the transaction, then walked with him to the table her friend was sitting at before. She found herself at a loss for words. Luckily, he seemed to flourish at small talk. Lucky lucky.

"Are you from around here?" he questioned. It seemed genuine enough. She didn't have a reason to lie, anyway.