-Kaboom! Boing, boing, boom!
-Go go Baron Bunny!
-Uh...Cuilein-Anbar, go!
Klee, Amber and Collei yelled out in turn,
As they dropped their "explosives" on the poor fish...
...
...
After the small picnic, they went to the nearby coast to blow up fish,
But why did they decide on this activity of all things after the picnic was already over...?
...
The reason for this was quite obvious, yet still confusing to Collei:
After enjoying the picnic and with nothing else to do, Klee got bored,
And so she decided it's the best time to go and blow up some fish!
...
"We are near the sea, anyway! And there's lots of fish there!",
Was her small explanation, as the hyperactive child soon invited her and Amber to this "activity"...
*And now Collei also realized why their picnic was so close to the sea...
...
...
She was reluctant to agree to this at first, but then...
"Maybe start it by making them some Pita Pockets...?"
It was a great opportunity to make some Pita Pockets for everyone!
*It was high time to make some changes to her recipe, anyway,
So now, instead of using Raw Meat, she planned to use Fish...!
...
...
Hopefully, it would still be really tasty and...
-Blow them aaaalll up! Boom boom boom! Kaboom! Hahahahahahahaha! -Her thoughts were interrupted by an eerily enthusiastic yell nearby, as Klee was ferociously blowing up any fish she could see, her expression quite maniacal. -Badoom! Boom! Whahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
...
-Collei, before you ask, this is normal. Klee is a very..."Free" spirit. -Amber told her moments later, as she went to stand by her friend's side, her expression a little uneasy. -...Not as much as her mother, Alice, of course. But sometimes, when she is very energized, Klee could very easily get like this. Which is why we, as part of the Knights of Favonius, promised to look after her and make sure things stay mostly controlled. -She explained, before suddenly pausing, as she looked towards the small Pyromaniac who had just intensified her assault. -...Yeah, I should probably stop this soon, before things go out of hand. I don't want this day to be ruined by Klee getting put in confinement by Jean again.
And with these words, Amber went to stop Klee,
Leaving Collei to look at her friend's back, wondering what was going on...
*From what was happening and Amber's explanation, this was not a new occurrence...
...
...
"You big meanie! How could you hurt my friends!", Klee was telling Dottore in clear rage, as she prepared her bombs, "This is for you! Boom boom boom! Kaboom!"
"How dare you attack me, you savage child!", the loathsome doctor replied, as he blocked the bombs with his cane thing(?), "As the Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, I shall make sure to teach you some ma...!"
"No one is to hurt my beautiful girl!", a voice suddenly interrupted, as a weird yet beautiful woman, who looked like a grown up version of Klee, soon appeared near her daughter, "Begone, you foul monster! Don't you dare appear before my daughter or her friends ever again!"
Alice yelled out in rage, as she blew him up with all her might,
The "Mad Doctor" soon getting thrown out into the sky and turning into a star...'
...
...
Well, this was quite a weird scenario she just came up with,
One Collei had no idea where it even came from...
*But it was still unusually funny to imagine…~
...
"About the reason why I am here, other than to check on you and make sure you are okay...
I want you to come somewhere with me, Collei! You don't mind, right?"
...
"...Alright, since it's you, Amber...
...But, where are we going...?"
"You will see.
...I am sure you will like it, Collei…~"
The small conversation that started it all...
*And then, what followed...
...
"...It's just the start of today's "program", but I am glad you seem to like it...~
Don't worry Collei, what we are going to do after this, I am sure you will love it too~"
...
"As soon as you are ready, we can go to the next location! You are going to love it so much, the Winds really...!
Sorry, I got overly enthusiastic about it and didn't realize that you might need some time. We can go wherever you are ready, so..."
...
"I am glad to see that you are clearly enjoying it, Collei~ Though you do look quite shocked...
But as pretty as it looks from here, the view should be even more beautiful inside. So let's go in and enjoy it!"
...
"So, how did you like the first present...? It was pretty great, right, Collei...?~ There were so many different fish swimming inside and the sun rays made the water look even better! Not something you see every day~
...Oh, they are already here!
Looks like the next "event" is going to start!"
...
"...Going to be lots of fun! Aren't you excited to go flying...?!
We are going to fly towards the Dornman Port area on the "special whirlwind", accompanied by our local pigeon friends! Sounds interesting, right...?!"
...
There was more, but still...
*All of the good memories she already had today...
...
...
Maybe she already started feeling a little better,
Even if not by a lot and even if it might be temporary...
...
...
Could this be called progress...?
"You have a Pita Pocket~
And you have a Pita Pocket~
Everyone should have a Pita Pocket~
Yummy Yummy Pita Pocket~
...
Made with Flour, Tomato, Milk,
And many Fish that went Boom Boom!
...
Pita Pocket~
Pita Pocket~
Yummy Yummy Pita Pocket~
Tasty dish made by my new best friend Collei!"
Klee was happily singing, as she was skipping around the place,
Handing out the "sandwiches" to as many people as she could...
*The whole scene looked quite cute to almost everyone watching,
Though one person, who turned out to be Collei, had a completely different reaction...
...
-...T-this kind of song...I-I was just experimenting with the recipe! P-putting fish there instead of meat and all that...-She couldn't help but shakily mumble, her face now beet red in embarrassment. -...B-besides that, the fish filet used here...M-most of it was from the fish that Klee blew up...S-so she is as responsible for the Pita Pockets tasting "Yummy" as I am...!
-But you were the one who made the dish using the blown up fish and the other ingredients! So you should get the full recognition for this tasty dish! -Amber couldn't help but admit, as she stood by her friend's side this whole time, quietly enjoying a Pita Pocket. -The taste is a little different than usual, since you added the Fish instead of the Raw Meat, but it's still pretty great! And since we had so much fish meat by the end of Klee's...-She paused for a few seconds, wondering how she should summarize what happened earlier. -..."Fun time", we had enough Pita Pockets for everyone in the village and even a little left over to take with us! And since they are so tasty, I am certain that if we share them with everyone waiting at Dornman Port and the Lawrence Estate...!
She soon went on a whole tale about how nice it would be for everyone to sample this tasty dish,
This whole speech taking a while and Collei's face becoming redder and redder the more it went along...
...
-They are really close, brother. -Sophia couldn't help but comment as she watched the two, her expression and voice grateful, yet also a little saddened. -...I am glad that we volunteered our help to this "operation" yesterday. This way, it feels like I am actually helping someone, instead of just being helped/saved...
-There is nothing wrong about being helped or saved. -Caleb said moments later, looking and sounding quite serious, as he proceeded to reassuringly hold her left hand. -...Everyone needs help sometimes, even immortals and gods.
Which was something he realized a while ago, upon seeing what Lord Ba..."Venti" went through,
As well as hearing and reading some stories about other immortals and gods,
Their sufferings and even possible murder or death...
...
In this world, no one was truly free from hurt,
No matter who they were, there was still a chance for hardships...
...
"...Why did you do it...? Why did you kidnap me...?
...And not only that, why did you have me drink that sleeping potion...? Why did you need me to be permanently asleep...?"
And he caused some of it, didn't he...?
*Remembering this now made Caleb feel really bad...
...
...
...
Upon arriving back to the village with his sister and informing the Elder about Collei's and Amber's possible arrival,
They soon noticed Klee and later Fischl, Bennet and Razor also in the village, so he told Sophia to go with them,
All the while, he stayed back in order to talk to the Village Elder...
...
"You must have noticed it already, but Lord Barbatos...There is something going on with him and Mondstadt. Even before, when we were still part of a cult, there was something weird. But after we integrated into Mondstadt and made our own village...
You saw yourself what happened when he was corrupted due to the Abyss Order's scheme...And how they themselves were shocked by what happened next...
Lord Barbatos was fully corrupted, yet the Abyss couldn't control him and got annihilated by him instead.
And what happened next..."
This was just a part of what they talked about,
But the problem was still clear...
...
There was something going on in Mondstadt(or maybe even in Teyvat as a whole),
And it was something which he and his sister were not privy to...
*He understood why it was this way, being sinners in the past,
But if anything, he still wanted to help somehow...
...
After they were welcomed here, to Mondstadt,
Soon becoming a part of its citizenship...
...
...
-Caleb feel weird. Quiet, maybe sad...? -Razor soon commented upon noticing the other's current expression, as he was currency feeding the pigeons with the bread crumbs from the Pita Pocket, having eaten all the fish himself and previously gave the vegetables to Bennet. -...We stay long here. Aren't there other "event"...? Sun is high in the sky now, start going down soon. -He thoughtfully added upon looking up at the sky, before turning his glance towards his current companions, stopping his gaze on the finally-not-completely-embarrassed Collei. -...Should we leave now...? To port...Thing.
He made sure to add, soon awaiting her reply,
Which didn't come for a while, as Collei looked a little conflicted...
*This day, the nice and fun activities in it, they were prepared for her,
But seeing how everyone was having so much fun now and taking into account the fact that the sun was still...
...
...
It didn't look like anyone minded what she chose to do now,
And the people at Dornman Port were already waiting for a while, right...?
*Besides that, she still wanted to give them and the ones at the Lawrence Estate the rest of the Pita Pockets...
...
...
-Let's leave for Dornman Port. We have stayed here for long enough, right...? -Collei finally answered, looking and sounding grateful, before her expression shifted to a more thoughtful one. -...I wonder what other "activities" all of you have prepared for today...Are they going to be as nice as the ones I have already experienced or even better...?
There were flying, once again,
This time towards Dornman Port...
-This port is located in the far North part of Mondstadt, used mainly for trade between our nation and the others and usually visited only for business purposes. From the very start of its inception by the Lawrence founder, Venerare, it was always a part of the clan's territory. Even when most of the clan moved to Mondstadt city during the Late Aristocratic Period, leaving a few members of the side family to look over the territory, as they started their rule of tyranny. -Amber made sure to explain, while pointing to the location in question, one which was still far away. -From what Eula told me and from what I know myself, the reason that the Lawrence clan managed to continue existing, even after its members were exiled from Mondstadt city, was because they still had some amount of control over Dornman Port and the trade it provided. If not for that fact, the clan would have long ceased to exist by now, a thousand years later. -She explained before pausing for a few seconds, her expression soon getting thoughtful. If not for Dornman Port to return to, they might have actually all died out, right...? But then, Eula...No, there was no reason to think about this…Her friend was alive and well…-...Actually, since Eula is the only living member remaining and considering the changes that she did to it and the Lawrence estate lately...Not just today, but also in the future, couldn't Dornman Port become more than just a center for trade...?
She couldn't help but wonder aloud soon enough,
As she looked towards where it was once again...
*Because of the Lawrence clan's influence in the past,
The area was inaccessible to most people for the longest time...
...
So now when it started changing, thanks to Eula and the others...
-If Miss Eula is the one managing it, I am sure the port would become a nice place in the future. -Collei wishfully said, as if answering her unasked question. -From what I know about Mondstadt and it's people...-...Including her good friend Amber and her friend's friends Miss Yanfei and Miss Eula...-...And from what I already experienced today, I am sure that in the future it could also become a good festive area and holiday destination. The same as most of Mondstadt already is, with the calm, free and homey atmosphere and the beautiful view.
"...And with the nice and welcoming people, even to someone who should be despised.", was left unsaid,
Yet Collei didn't mind whether anyone realized what she was thinking or not...
...
She was a citizen of Sumeru and even gotten her Vision there,
But Mondstadt was the place where she found what she was searching for...
...
"What I want is...The power to protect others.
Strength, Kindness."
...
...
With people who still cared for her,
And who tried to make her feel better...
...
Even now.