Sucrose and Collei managed to take cover under the front door's porch before the rain worsened. To Sucrose's surprise, the front door was locked; although it wasn't a problem, since she always carried her keys with herself. She opened the door, invited Collei to come in, and locked it again after herself.
"Hello!? Is anybody home!?" she called. "We're back!"
Goshtasb appeared from beyond the hall and greeted both of them.
"Welcome home, Sucrose," he said, then he noticed the bags they were carrying. "I had locked the door because of how bad the weather was becoming. I apologize if it has caused you any inconvenience."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Sucrose reassured, trying not to jabber. "So, is Dori still meeting with the other merchants?"
Of all the employees residing in the palace, Goshtasb and Shaghayeh addressed Dori as 'Mistress'; and the rest, as 'boss'. Sucrose was the only one who called her by her given name. This was because Dori had always been so eccentric, and Sucrose was going through too many things when they had first met, that addressing the former in a formal manner had never crossed the latter's mind. Dori actually preferred it this way, though; therefore, she never even mentioned it.
"No, they left a while ago," Goshstasb replied. "You can speak to her, if you like. She's still in her sitting room."
After thanking him, Sucrose showed Collei to Dori's sitting room. The idea was to have Collei receive her payment so she could leave as soon as possible, before the rain worsened any further. She knocked on the door, but no answer came from inside. Maybe she's in the restroom? she thought. However, when she tried to open the door, she found that it wasn't closed. She slowly and carefully opened it, and peeked inside. She found Dori lying on her divan, sleeping like a log and snoring with her mouth. She entered and insisted Collei do the same.
"I don't think we should wake her up," Collei whispered.
"I usually don't do it," Sucrose agreed, "but we're in a hurry now."
Nevertheless, Sucrose didn't approach Dori; instead, she pulled out a coin from the leather pouch Dori had given her, raised it up high, and dropped it. The coin clinked soundly against the floor. The next instant, Dori sprung at it in the twinkling of an eye.
"A Mora! Mine!" She seized the coin posthaste. Then, she noticed the girls. "Oh, it's you two. How was the day?"
Collei gawked wide-eyed at Dori; she couldn't believe what she had just seen. Dori let out a long yawn while she stretched out nonchalantly, until a loud thunder fully roused her. Rain could be heard falling heavily outside. Dori opened a curtain and looked through the window.
"Holy Seven!" she exclaimed. "You can't even see the garden!"
Sucrose and Collei clung to Dori in order to take a close look for themselves as well. The downpour was of such intensity that, indeed, they couldn't see beyond a few steps before themselves. None of the three had ever seen such a heavy rain before. Collei was getting anxious.
"The way back is going to be awful…" she complained.
"Don't even think about it!" Dori rebuked her, looking serious. "You stay here until this lets up!"
"But I have to! If I don't go back, Master will worry about me!"
"When Tighnari finds out that you've been on your own under this cloudburst, he will be very angry; you know it better than I do," Dori asserted, now looking even more serious. "You stay here until it lets up, and that's final."
A sudden lightning accompanied by a deafening thunder startled all three of them. Collei looked at Dori, and Dori looked back at Collei with a serious, firm stare. She slowly shook her head; she had no intention of backing down. In the end, Collei sank her shoulders and nodded repeatedly as a sign of acceptance. Dori relaxed her expression and approached her. She spoke gently:
"Listen, if Tighnari gets upset because of this, I assume full responsibility, okay?"
Collei nodded silently. Meanwhile, Sucrose, who had remained on the periphery the whole time, knowing that it wasn't her place to intervene, wished that there were some way to contact Tighnari from a distance, just like Nahida used telepathy with the Aranara. With everything sorted out, Sucrose suggested to Collei that they go to their room, since they had nothing better to do, to which Collei accepted. Before they left, Dori gave Collei her payment for her services; that way, they wouldn't need to worry about remembering it later, once the Forest Ranger trainee left.
Sucrose's bedroom had come to life quite a bit since she had begun to use it. She had a new, second lamp on her desk, in addition to the one on her nightstand. Her closet and drawers now had plenty of clothes in them, although she had never seen her original outfit from Mondstadt ever again since Shaghayeh had taken it away. In her shelves she had many Sumerian-styled flowery decorations and books about the nation, such as history, flora and fauna, or travel guides, all gifted by Dori.
Sucrose left her bags on her desk, and then sat down onto her bed. She invited Collei to do the same. Collei had an evident expression of concern on her face.
"Are you still thinking about Tighnari?" Sucrose asked.
"Honestly, I'm worried," Collei admitted. "He's such a worrywart, and I'm scared that he will fret too much because I'm not back."
"I understand what you mean. But Dori's right: if we let you go outside under this weather, then we'd be the ones worrying sick about you."
"If only there were some way to let Master know that I'm here, we wouldn't be in this situation," Collei wished.
Both of them let out a heavy sigh at the same time. The only thing they could do in that regard was to wish that the rain would let up soon. Sucrose stood up and went back to her desk. She pulled out from the bags the books she had purchased one by one. There were all kinds of titles there, such as Bioalchemy: Medical Applications, Alchemy in the Metallurgical Industry, Traditional Alchemy: The Method of the Cauldron, or Alchemical Culinary Recipes: Pies for Everyone, among many others. While looking at the titles, an idea occurred to her in order to have Collei come clean regarding her storybook about the Aranara. She felt awful for merely thinking about it; like if she were a manipulative scoundrel. However, she also believed that the more Collei tried to hide the truth, the worse it would be for her if that truth ever came to light. Trying her best not to overthink it, she set her idea into motion.
She left a few books on the desk, and took a few more to the bookshelf. She made it look like she was ordering them, but in reality, she was just moving all books at random. Then, she spoke to Collei:
"Collei, can you please bring me the Alchemy in the Metallurgical Industry? It's on the desk."
Collei shuddered a little, and hesitating, she approached the books which Sucrose had left on the desk. She looked at them over and over again, as if she didn't know which book was the right one. This wasn't going as Sucrose had expected.
"Is something wrong?" Sucrose insisted. "You have it right there."
Collei began to feel anxious. Her face turned fully red, and tears came out of her eyes. She was trembling and her breathing became heavy. Sucrose regretted her idea, and loathed herself for having tried it; nevertheless, before she could apologize to Collei, the latter spoke:
"Sucrose. Promise me that you won't laugh, okay?" Collei looked at Sucrose with tearful, yet resolved eyes. "And also that you won't tell anyone! Promise me!"
Sucrose didn't understand what was happening, but now wasn't the time to think about it. "I promise," she said calmly.
"Promise me!" Collei insisted, quite unsettled. "Pinky promise! With cherry on top!"
"Pinky promise with cherry on top I promise."
Then, Collei breathed in, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she couldn't manage to say anything. She breathed out, and tried again; and again, nothing. On her third attempt, although her voice was weak, tearful, and trembling, she did manage to say it:
"I can't read."
That wasn't what Sucrose had presumed whatsoever. She thought that Collei liked to read storybooks and was too shy to say it because of her introverted trait; and had planned to bring up the subject in a casual manner once Collei had brought her the book. She had never even considered that possibility.
"But you're carrying a notebook with you," she pointed out. "And it wasn't blank."
"It's because I'm learning," Collei explained, feeling mortified. "On it I note new words I discover, but I barely know the basics. Do you remember that book about the Aranara in my house? I lied: it's for me to read it. I can only read storybooks, or some light novels at best, and I can only write simple sentences. That's what I'm studying now."
Once she had finished, Collei sank her head and closed her eyes, trying to calm the emotions overflowing from her somehow. Still with her eyes closed, she felt that Sucrose had approached her. She opened them, and saw that Sucrose was looking at her with a kind, gentle smile.
"Collei," she said with a warm voice, "you want to learn, and you're trying your hardest to do so. Why would I laugh just because you've started a little later than usual?"
More tears came out of Collei's eyes. Many more; Collei had started to cry. However, she wasn't bawling; she was laughing. Sucrose's words made her feel relieved, and now all of her previous emotions were overflowing her, making her weep for joy.
"When you put it that way, it doesn't seem like a big deal," she said, after calming herself down. "Thank you, Sucrose. I mean it."
She dried her tears with a handkerchief, then she blew her nose on it. She looked at her own bag. She smiled and nodded. She opened the bag, pulled out the envelope which she had received before, and extended it to Sucrose.
"Sucrose, would you mind reading me this letter?" she asked.
"Are you sure?" Sucrose hesitated. "Think that, by reading it to you, I'm also reading it myself."
"Totally. Even though we haven't spent much time together, I know that I can trust you. Or, at least, that's what my heart is telling me."
Sucrose blushed. She felt butterflies in her stomach. Did that mean that Collei saw her as a friend? She hadn't made any friends in years; therefore, she was feeling a little odd, but also happy. She accepted. She took Collei's envelope, opened it and pulled the letter out. She asked Collei to sit down on her bed, and then she sat down on her desk's chair. She turned the desk lamp on in order to read the letter better, and turned towards Collei. Colle looked at her in anticipation. Sucrose began to read:
Dear Collei,
How are you? I'm so glad to see that you're so eager to interact with someone! The way you have told me, that girl seems to be a nice person. You have to tell me how your first day on the job went! And don't forget to tell me her name this time!
As for me, I'm doing great! I'm still enjoying my position as an Outrider as much as my first day. Even though it has been a bit hard, lately. Everyone back in the Headquarters is still rather discouraged by what happened to our alchemist about a month ago. We all miss her a lot.
But don't you go feeling all gloomy on me now, eh!? We all here are in good health, and nothing would make me happier than seeing you smile! So keep your spirits up and good luck with your new job as an escort! I hope that you two end up becoming great friends!
With love,
Amber.
"Amber?" a stunned Sucrose repeated. "As in Outrider Amber, the Crimson Knight?"
"The same one!" Collei replied excitedly. "Do you know her?"
Sucrose wavered. She read the letter again to herself. She didn't expect such coincidence whatsoever. She was happy to know that she was being missed back in Mondstadt. Nevertheless, she was aware that that meant nothing if the Fatui were still looking for her. If such was the case, and if she returned, it would only lead to trouble, both for her and for everybody else. Perhaps it was a real stroke of luck that Collei had forgotten to mention her name in the letter, which meant that everybody in Mondstadt was still unaware of her actual whereabouts. And she thought that it should better stay like so, for everybody's sake:
"Collei? Would you mind doing me a favor?"
"Of course not. Tell me."
"Could you not tell Amber my name?"
"Huh? Why not?"
Collei looked at Sucrose with an expression like if she had just been denied a present she was excitedly looking forward to. No matter how much she thought about it, Sucrose didn't come up with an excuse good enough for Collei not to insist any further. She didn't see any other way out:
"I think it's now my turn to be honest," she decided.
She told Collei the whole truth: that she was the same person both were referring to in their letters, and everything that had happened that fateful night in which she had fled Mondstadt. With every word she said, Collei became more and more perplexed. Regardless, she never interrupted her; she listened closely to her. Once Sucrose finished her story, Collei was in a complete loss for words.
"It can't be…" was the only thing she managed to say.
"You believe me, do you, Collei?" Sucrose pled. "You really don't think that I was the one, right?"
"Yes, of course I believe you. Lesser Lord Kusanali is on your side; that is proof enough that you're being honest," Collei reassured her. "And besides, if the Fatui were involved in this, I wouldn't be surprised if this was all a ploy of theirs. Those bastards stop at nothing for their own damned ends!"
Collei's sudden change of attitude frightened Sucrose. She was radiating ire with every inch of her body. Her frown couldn't be more creased, her breathing was shallow, and she was gritting her teeth and clenching her fists tightly.
"Collei?…"
"Oh! Sorry. I almost lost control there." Collei breathed in and out several times until she calmed down. "Thank you for trusting me, Sucrose; it really means a lot to me. Still, can we leave it here? It's just that thinking about the Fatui makes my blood boil."
"Sure, no problem…" Sucrose nodded, still taking in Collei's recent outburst. "Just one last thing, though: about not telling Amber who I am. Will you do it? I think it'll be best if they don't know about it."
"I understand; and I agree with you," Collei accepted. "I won't tell her; I'll try to come up with a name, instead."
Sucrose thanked Collei with a smile; then, she stood up from her chair and went towards the window. She looked through it. It was already getting dark, yet it still rained heavily.
"Just like that night…"
Since the rain wasn't showing any sign of letting up, Collei had no other choice but to stay the night in the Palace of Alcazarzaray. That was what Dori told her when she went to tell them that dinner would be ready soon. Collei didn't say anything on that matter, for she already knew what would be the point of trying to 'debate' Dori. Not to mention that she was fully conscious that, if it was already dangerous to go outside before, now it was even more, since visibility was now scarce, and also the roads would be flooded after such a downpour for so long.
The three of them dined together. They had chicken shawarma salad for dinner. Dori preferred light dinners; she said that they helped sleep better. Sucrose agreed; ever since she had started to take care of her sleeping habits, she began to work better in the atelier. Now that she was accustomed to it, she went to bed around ten in the evening, and woke up a little after six in the morning, both without any issue.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Collei announced in the midst of dinner. "Thank you so much for the cookies, Dori! They were absolutely delicious!"
"I'm not the one you should be thanking," Dori corrected, while taking a piece of chicken to her mouth.
She pointed Sucrose with her fork. Sucrose stared back at Dori, confused and with her mouth full. She then realized: Dori wasn't carrying that purple bag when she gave her her payment back in the atelier, and she also went to meet the others directly, which meant that those cookies could have only come from one place:
"Those were my cookies!" she exclaimed, after swallowing. "The ones I had made with alchemy!"
"You said that they needed to be tasted, didn't you? Well, now you know the consumers' opinions, yours included."
"That's not the point!" Sucrose yelled angrily. "What if they didn't turn out well!? All of us could have had loose bowels! Or worse!"
"What would you have done, then?" Dori retorted. "Because, however you look at it, somebody had to taste those cookies."
Sucrose remained silent. Deep inside, she knew that Dori was right: that risk needed to be taken. She knew it all along, but still, she was afraid to accept it, and wanted to find another way without any risk. She was also upset that Dori had acted on her own; and to top it all, she had recovered from that Withering attack so quickly precisely because that Dori did her own thing, which upset her even more, for she felt that she shouldn't be reproaching her actions.
"Sorry for yelling at you, Dori," she apologized.
"You are more capable than you think, Sucrose," Dori praised her. "Everything you have done up until now has been of superb quality, and you fulfill whatever I request you with interest. And you have barely just begun to work outside of your field; just think what you could achieve if you keep doing your best. All you need to do is believe in yourself a little more."
Sucrose didn't answer; she just kept eating. Dori didn't say anything else, either. As for Collei, she wasn't certain whether to feel happy or sad for having brought up the cookies.
A while later, when bedtime came, Dori and Sucrose accompanied Collei to a guest room; in particular, the very same one which had been used by Sucrose when she had arrived yet again. They ran into Shaghayeh there, who had just finished preparing everything and excused herself without saying a word, only doing a formal gesture. Sucrose lent Collei one of her sleeping clothes, in case she preferred not to sleep with her everyday clothes, and showed her the way to the nearest restroom.
"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," Collei apologized to both of them.
"Nonsense. You wouldn't see me being this hospitable towards you if you were a bother," Dori teased.
Collei then looked at Sucrose, who was putting on a wry face. It really seemed like Sucrose was beginning to sound like Dori. After bidding each other good night and leaving Collei in the guest room, Sucrose and Dori walked together towards their respective bedrooms. The present silence was awkward for Sucrose, up to the point that she couldn't bear it.
"Hey, Dori, about before…"
"I'm sorry, Sucrose," Dori apologized suddenly. "I know I overstepped my bounds."
"Huh?" Sucrose was dumbfounded. She didn't understand what Dori meant by that.
"I know that we aren't allowed to touch anything from your atelier, yet I grabbed those alchemy-made cookies of my own accord. That's why I apologize: for disobeying you."
Sucrose didn't know what to say. She was about to thank Dori for having taken the cookies, but the latter's apology made her think that, by doing so, it would seem like she wasn't taking her own rules sternly enough. Because she didn't know how to tackle any of both issues without disregarding the other, she just opted for the easy way out: she dropped the subject.
"Honestly, I don't want to think about this anymore," she said. "How about we just let it go and move on?"
Dori didn't say anything; she just nodded. Perhaps she had caught a glimpse of what was going through Sucrose's mind, and decided to let her be. Sucrose realized that the road to finally being able to speak her mind without overthinking everything was more trying than she had thought; maybe she would never reach its end. No, she shouldn't be thinking that, yet. For the moment, she should just focus on her next step, and heed what Dori had told her before: she should believe more in herself.
They reached the top floor, and each one went to their respective rooms after bidding each other goodnight. Sucrose was quite tired after such a day; therefore, she immediately changed to her nightgown, yet keeping her gloves on, and went straight to bed. It wouldn't be too difficult for her to fall asleep.
Or so she had thought; she had been tossing and turning for a while now. She thought about that monster from the Withering. Was it indeed only attacking her? Or was it really just a coincidence? She also thought about Collei, about her outburst of anger when she talked about the Fatui. ¿Perhaps she had had a bad time with them as well? The more she thought about it, the more curious she became. Be that as it may, she had sworn to herself not to pry on that issue; not this time. She didn't want to open any possible old wound; thus, if Collei were ever willing to talk about it, she would lend her an ear. But only then. After another one of her many turns, being now on her side, she opened her eyes. Just before her stood a quite familiar red shape.
"Hi, Nara Crows!"
"Arake! You startled me!"
Not only Arake, Nahida was also there.
"What are you two doing in my room!?" Sucrose interrogated, quite upset due to her start. "And how did you get in!?"
"We are not in your room," Nahida said.
Then, she did a movement with her hand, and the surroundings changed. Sucrose's room vanished, and in its place, a small island with a round table and three chairs at the center of a lake appeared. The lake was surrounded by colossal trees, rising imposingly towards the sky like towers. They were so tall that their crowns were out of sight. Sucrose quickly understood everything: she was dreaming. But when did she fall asleep? She didn't have any recollection thereof. Nahida invited Sucrose to sit down. Sucrose took her nearest chair, Nahida sat down on her right, and Arake on her left.
"We ought to converse better like this," Nahida said. "Are you comfortable?"
"Yes, thank you," Sucrose replied uneasily. "So, are we in my dream?"
"Indeed. There is something I would like to discuss with you about, and I could not wait any longer. Arake is here because he wanted to see you again, and I did not know how to refuse."
Arake greeted Sucrose gamboling on his chair. Sucrose smiled and waved back at him. Even though it had sounded like he was out of place, Sucrose was glad to see him again, nonetheless.
"Incidentally, this is the first time I see you with your ears upright," Nahida commented with a happy smile. "It makes me quite happy. They are as cute as I had anticipated."
Sucrose took her hands to where she usually had her ears concealed. She didn't touch anything. Then, she fumbled for them above her head and, indeed, her ears were there. Of course, she had raised them before going to bed, but she hadn't noticed it until Nahida had mentioned it because of her surprise by their sudden visit. However, she didn't blush, nor did she conceal them again; it was already too late for that. Furthermore, she could picture Nahida's reaction if she did so. And besides, there was another, much more important matter at hand:
"What did you want to discuss about, Nahida?"
"It is about what transpired this morning," Nahida explained. "I already know what happened because I was present at the meeting; but still, I would like to hear from your experience. Do you remember anything from when you fainted?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't remember anything," Sucrose admitted. "All of my memories from that moment seem to have vanished somehow, because I know I still remembered some things, although a little fuzzy, back when I was in the city."
"How curious…" Nahida raised a hand to her chin. "Still, this may prove to be valuable information, so there is no need to be sorry."
Sucrose asked Nahida about that phenomenon known as 'the Withering'. Nahida gave her a brief explanation: they occurred when a small area became corrupted by an otherworldly contamination known as 'forbidden knowledge'. Said contamination formed a tumor, which affected all living beings within that aforementioned area, especially humans, to which those effects were extremely harmful. The only way to remove a Withering was to cleanse the tumor.
After she, Lesser Lord Kusanali, was freed from her confinement and purified the origin of that contamination, no new Withering had appeared insofar. Until that day, when a new Withering was reported. However, that Withering differed from all previous ones, as the only thing present within it was that fungus covered in black mud, and the Withering had disappeared alongside it.
"Which is why I wanted to hear your version. I need to gather as much information as possible," Nahida finished.
"I'm sorry I can't be of much help," Sucrose regretted.
"I told you: be not. You being uninjured from that Withering attack despite being its target is more than sufficient for me."
Sucrose opened her eyes wide in shock and shuddered. "H-hold on… So I really was being targeted?"
She wished that she had just misheard it, but Nahida's reaction of covering her mouth with her hands, which was a more than evident sign that she had slipped up, was confirmation enough that she hadn't. She was becoming stressed.
"But why was I being targeted!? Has something like this already happened to someone!? Or is it just only me again!? Tell me, Nahida!"
Nahida tried to calm Sucrose down by telling her that it was still too early to figure anything out, but Sucrose didn't believe her. She felt vulnerable, and she was afraid, afraid of not coming out unscathed next time. She didn't know what to do. Neither did Nahida know what to say to her to calm her down, which made her feel powerless and depressed. Arake, who had been quiet until then, climbed onto the table and ran towards Sucrose. He jumped on her and clung to her chest.
"Nara Crows must calm down!" he shouted. "Or else she will wake up!"
Arake's spontaneity took Sucrose by surprise, and it also reminded her that she was dreaming: if she kept panicking, she would wake up, just like Arake had just said. She pictured herself awake, alone in her room, in the dark of the night, and with that fear struck in her heart. She didn't want to wake up; therefore, she tried to calm down however she could. She hugged Arake as if he were a plush and took deep breaths until she managed to keep her emotions under control.
"I'm sorry, Sucrose," Nahida apologized. "I came to ask you something, and I almost caused you a nightmare, instead. Please, forgive me."
Nahida was crestfallen. It seemed to Sucrose that she was holding her tears back, yet Sucrose didn't know what to say to her. She didn't want to lie and tell her that it was okay, because even she could tell that doing so would only worsen it. She thought of something else. Still with Arake in her arms, she stood up from her chair and approached Nahida. With one arm, she was still holding Arake; and with the other, she hugged Nahida.
"Socializing can be really hard sometimes, can it?" she whispered softly to her ear.
Nahida nodded and squeezed herself against Sucrose. Although she tried her best to conceal it, Sucrose could hear her sobbing.
"I'm sorry that you both had to see me in such a state," Nahida said, after regaining her composure, though not her calm demeanor. "And I'm really sorry for causing you grief, Sucrose."
"Please, don't worry about it," Sucrose tried to reassure her. "Seeing you this downhearted makes me feel guilty."
Nahida smiled at Sucrose. She noticed that Sucrose was no longer stressed, or even anxious; she was just worried about her. She nodded.
"But now that I hear you talking like that," Sucrose realized, "you always tell us to just be ourselves around you, but you don't do the same around us. Why is that?"
"So you noticed, huh?"
Nahida thought that, as the Dendro Archon who presides over Sumeru, and the God of Wisdom, she ought to maintain a strong composure and an unwavering force of will; that she must never show any sign of weakness. She believed that, if she did, she would lose the faith her nation had in her, which might lead to general panic before any unknown threat, just like it had just happened with Sucrose. Therefore, she must display self-possession at all times, even if there were some in which she only wanted to cry.
"And you don't have anybody to tell your worries to?" Sucrose asked.
Nahida shook her head; no, she didn't. In her little more than five hundred years of life, Nahida had always depended only on herself; even now, despite being surrounded by her people. The reason for that, she had just told it to Sucrose, and she was acquainted with none of the other Archons on a personal level. Sucrose felt sorry for her. Even though Nahida was always kind, deep down she might be feeling quite lonely.
"Hey, Nahida," she said. "If you ever need to talk about something―"
"Sucrose, I don't mean any ill will with this," Nahida interrupted," but I don't think you will be of much assistance with my problems."
"True. At most, I'd have more panic attacks," Sucrose laughed. "But honestly, even though I may not be able to help you, at least I can offer you my shoulder to lean on. I don't want you to feel lonely. Even if it's only to let off some steam, I think it would be good for you to have someone to talk to. You know that I'm not very good when it comes to talking to others either, but at least I'm a good listener. All I'm asking you is that you trust me, just like you trusted me with your social ineptitude."
Nahida stared completely perplexed at Sucrose. "Wow… You really can find your way with your will, Sucrose," she commented. "Okay, I accept your invitation. If I ever feel lonely, I will come to visit you in your dreams."
"Just let me know that you're coming. I don't want to be startled every time you appear all of a sudden."
"It's a deal," Nahida smiled. She had already begun to act in a more casual manner towards Sucrose. "Now, let me change the subject: is there anything you want to do now?"
"As in right now?" Sucrose hesitated. "But aren't we in my dream?"
"Precisely. Since you know that this is your dream, you should be able to shape it however you like. Just picture what you would like the most and it will come to be; this is your blank canvas."
Sucrose closed her eyes and concentrated. From below her feet their surroundings began to change drastically. The table and the chairs disappeared, and the lake and the trees were replaced by a flowering meadow. Flowers of every color lay as far as the eye could see. The blue sky highlighted their colors even more; it seemed like they shone under its light. Sucrose opened her eyes and let out a long puff.
"Did I do it?"
"Nara Crows is amazing! Arake exclaimed joyfully. "Arake has never seen so many flowers before!"
"It's gorgeous," Nahida commented, stunned. "Sucrose, what is this place?"
Sucrose walked a few steps around while gazing across her surroundings, as if she were analyzing them in detail.
"This is my dream; what I aim for in my life." Sucrose took her hands to her chest. "I want to create my own world, my own paradise, like those from fairy tales, where everyone lives happily in peace and harmony. Do you think I'm being childish?"
"Arake thinks that Nara Crows is special," Arake asserted. "That's enough for Arake."
"It does seem a little childish on paper," Nahida answered bluntly. "But I know that, if someone can do it, it's you, Sucrose."
"Thank you both. …I think."
Sucrose lay down onto the ground. She could look at the sky, but she could neither smell the flowers nor feel the breeze which swayed them. It didn't come to her as a surprise, for she knew that it was only a dream; nor it didn't matter much to her, for she knew that, someday, it would be a reality. Nahida lay down beside her. Arake, instead, went running around the area. Sucrose turned towards Nahida and asked her:
"Nahida, when I wake up from this dream, will I have forgotten it?"
"Theoretically, no," Nahida answered. "Since you're conscious, it will be like another memory."
Sucrose was glad to hear it. She didn't want to forget the promise she and Nahida had made. Just then, she heard a melody. She turned towards the direction it came from. It was Arake, who had stopped running around and was now singing. That melody was different from the one she remembered from that blue aranara, that one she saw on her first and only outing on her own. Listening to Arake's melody made her feel at ease. She closed her eyes and let herself be carried away by the sound of that peaceful and serene melody.
"The melodies of the Aranara are quite beautiful, are they not?" Nahida commented. "The Aranara love singing, and each one has their own melody."
Sucrose didn't say anything; she just smiled without opening her eyes. Then, she felt a weight on her body. Something had gotten on her. She opened her eyes to see what it was and saw Nahida's face very close by.
"Listen. Remember that you aren't alone. There are many people who care for you and worry about you. Me included," Nahida said. "So you can rely on us, and trust that we will keep you safe from the Withering, regardless of whether it targets you or not. Not to mention that every one of us has experience in how to stay clear of them. And besides, you know that Dori doesn't let you go out alone. So don't lose your sleep over it, okay?"
Sucrose confirmed her understanding with a slight moan and closed her eyes again. At the moment, she was so placid that everything mattered little to her. However, Nahida didn't get off of her; she repositioned herself, lay down on top of her, and closed her eyes as well. Sucrose let her stay on her. She placed her hand on top of the little Archon's head, and gently caressed it. She didn't know if she had fallen asleep, or if that was even possible inside a dream. She only knew that she kept hearing Arake singing his melody and feeling Nahida on top of her, and that the next time she opened her eyes, she was back in her room and it was already daylight.