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Collei sat on the edge of the chair, fingers vibrating rapidly against her arm as she watched Kaeya. He was reading an old, beaten-looking book, bound in green cloth that might once have been beautiful. Outside, the moon was slowly rising over Mondstadt’s walls, light pouring over the city. He had promised Amber would be here, that he was taking her to where they had agreed to meet, but the moon drifted ever higher, bringing with it the rising fear that maybe her friend wasn’t coming.
Maybe something bad had happened. It always did, when Collei lingered with anyone long enough to begin to feel like she had found something worth holding on to. Maybe it was the Fatui, maybe it was simple chance, maybe Amber had taken the time to reflect and find her anger and disgust, driving her to abandon Collei. It’s not as though she would blame her.
Kaeya turned the page before finally looking up at her.
“Our friend should be here any minute now.”
“Where was she?” For him to know exactly when Amber would return… she wasn’t sure that she liked the implications of that.
“She…” Kaeya laughed. “Oh, you thought I meant Amber. I’m sure the little bunny is still for those strange devices. It’ll be at least another hour before she comes back. That’s not who we’re waiting for.”
Collei’s eyes widened. If it wasn’t Amber… It couldn't be called a betrayal, but she had dared to hope, had dared to imagine that she might be safe in this place, only for him to so casually declare such cruel intentions. She knew who else that friend could be, and the cruel doctor’s mask burned behind her eyes, carrying with it the cold sound of his laughter.
Kaeya had turned her in.
Her entire body shook at that as she forced herself to her feet, smog already beginning to swirl. Maybe she could already escape. Escape, or fight. Tears began to trickle as she heard footsteps approaching the door. A voice whispered outside the door, mirroring the ones that echoed in her head. The real laughter of the serpent that sizzled under her skin intertwined with memories of the doctor’s laughter as he inspected a machine that would soon be running a painful array of tests to measure unknowable products of his experiments.
The door opened. The smoke collected around her. Kaeya got to his feet. A small figure bumped into her leg. Another figure appeared in the doorway.
Kaeya hoisted the smaller figure, now visibly a young girl in red, into his arms. “Hey, kiddo. Did you miss me?” What was… he doing? Dottore had brought another child, one who was… happy… The smoke dissipated as Collei choked on a laugh. The poor, delusional girl.
The girl giggled. “You should have come! We went to Dragonspine and there were all these fish under the ice and ‘Bedo said I could blow them up if no one was around and I did and then we made this super tasty fish stew with the weird mint. Why is the mint on Dragonspine different? ‘Bedo said it was an adaptation, but why would mint need to do that? It’s just mint.”
“Slow down, Klee. Let’s introduce ourselves to our new friend.” The figure in the doorway stepped properly into view as he spoke. His voice was unfamiliar, tinged with a warmth uncharacteristic of Dottore or his staff. A new kind of trap, perhaps, a new member of staff, maybe even a new iteration of the doctor himself. He smiled. “My name is Albedo, and this is my younger sister, Klee. I am the head alchemist for the Knights of Favonius. Lisa sent me a message asking me to come to see you. Did I miss anything, Klee? Kaeya?” Lisa had called him… Lisa, who had helped her search through the library, who had suggested Amber take her to the festivities, who had offered to make her tea and read her a book before she went to sleep tonight… Amber trusted Lisa, and Lisa had been nothing but kind to her; surely that was a good sign. Unless this too were a lie, a trick to wear her guard down; maybe Kaeya had given him that name, told him how to earn her trust. She wouldn’t put it past him.
Klee waved from Kaeya’s arms. “What’s your name? I know Miss Lisa called ‘Bedo to talk to you, but I want to too! We can go fish blasting, or I can show you the best places in Mondstadt to find mushrooms, or maybe we could…”
“There will be time for all of those things soon enough. For now, I believe there’s some business for us to attend to. Kaeya, please take Klee to the library for a little while. I’d like a moment to talk to Collei, and then we’ll come to find you,” Albedo said. Kaeya nodded. “Please have Sucrose bring my notes. The ones I need are the third book from the right on the top shelf.” Kaeya and Klee left, leaving Collei and Albedo alone. “Now, Collei, Lisa sent me a summary of events thus far, but I need you to confirm for me: did you start that fire?” How could he not know… he had seen the dark, swirling fire for himself, and yet he looked in her eyes and asked her to speak for herself. “I’m not going to turn you in. I need to know before we can proceed.”
“Yes.”
Albedo nodded. “Thank you. Now, is this an ability you are able to control?”
“Sometimes? It responds to my emotions, but I wouldn’t call it control so much as direction. It has… a voice all its own, and it makes threats… it wanted to start that fire. It wanted to kill those people.”
“I see.” He fished an instrument out of his bag. “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
He smiled. “Now, I have to perform a couple of tests. I cannot promise these will be painless, but I’m going to try. I just need my notes before we can proceed.” He then continued to set up instruments, building a large array of metal contraptions that looked hauntingly familiar in the wall all machines did, reminiscent of the doctor’s cruel tools of his trade, agony bound in gears and shining steel.
“Ahh… Master Albedo?” The door opened once more, and a girl about Amber’s age entered the room. “I brought your notes.”
“Thank you, Sucrose.” He accepted the notes with a nod. The girl smiled as she closed the door once more. “Now, Collei, let’s begin.” Albedo picked up an instrument. His other hand ran over her arm, his gloves soft against her skin as he narrowed in on her elbow, and the doctor smiled as he cleaned the vein. Smoke lapped and sizzled against the edges of the syringe as it slid all too cleanly into her arm. The peace was only illusory, though, as burning erupted through her arm, and then through her body. Collei wanted to scream, but her voice would not respond. Her limbs were firmly pinned down, so all she could do was squirm and shake as her body tried to thrash in pain. “Easy now,” the doctor had murmured. “Don’t make me do something neither of us wants me to do.”
“Collei.” Albedo’s voice was stern, but not cold. “I cannot do this if you do not work with me.” He looked at her. “I will need a blood sample. We can proceed slower if you would like, but this is necessary. What would you like to do?”
He wasn’t Dottore. She knew it for certain now. The doctor had never cared for her wishes, let alone offered to adjust the experiments for her comfort. She could still feel his hands on her shoulder and his power pressing against her mind, but Albedo watched her with unerring patience as she ran her hand over the arm, then over the shoulder, as though to confirm Dottore’s absence.
“Do it.” Her voice was hoarser than she expected, but she watched Albedo clean the vein once more. "
“So, Miss Collei, what brings you to Mondstadt?” He picked up the needle.
“Answers… and revenge. I want to know why they did this to me, and I want to make them suffer for doing it.” The needle slipped almost painlessly into her arm, the act of someone with expertise and the will to use it.
“In that case, I suppose I ought to ask what you need from me. Lisa’s letter implied she hoped I would be able to treat both your illness and the spirit. I can likely find something to at least help with those conditions, but what do you want? Are you looking for treatment, or do you just want the data from my tests?”
Treatment… she’d never thought she’d have such a thing again. It had not existed in her imaginings of the outside world, seeming as if it was to belong entirely to the doctor. He had told her stories for years, of people in Sumeru who grew sicker and sicker until they died. When she fled, she had accepted that fate: she’d rather die outside the facility than live in it. The curse that curled through her veins had been a constant companion, agonizing and all-encompassing, and she had accepted it as a part of herself, something irrevocably intertwined with her soul.
“If you can treat me…”
“I’ll do my best.” Albedo removed the needle and began to clean the entry site once more. “I will stay in the city for as long as I can, but duty may call me back to Dragonspine. If so, Sucrose will be able to help you if something comes up.” He turned back to the large contraption behind him. “Preliminary results should be here in the next week or so. For now…” Albedo picked something off the machine. “Please drink this. I’ll be right back.” He handed her a bottle and stepped out the door.
Collei just stared at the bottle. Whatever was in it smelled slightly sweet, and, for a while, she swished it back and forth, watching the liquid flow back and forth with each movement. Old instincts and memories of strange medicines slipped into drinks held her back from drinking it. They were urges that had kept her alive for so long, but she wanted to trust Albedo.
The door opened once more, and the first person to enter was not Albedo but Klee. Kaeya followed her, and Albedo finally behind him.
“Oh! ‘Bedo made you hot chocolate!” Klee vaulted up onto the chair next to her. “Can I have some?”
“Hold on, Klee. Let’s let Collei drink her hot chocolate in peace. You just had some.” Kaeya chuckled. He turned to Collei. “How’re you doing, kiddo? Albedo didn’t give you much of a fright, I hope.”
She finally took a sip from the bottle. It was warm and pleasantly sweet, like nothing he had had before.
“Hey, Collei, do you want to make paper birds with me? ‘Bedo said you might be staying a while, and I said you could stay in my room with me. We can read books and play games and I can take you fish blasting, as long as Jean doesn’t catch us, and we can go swimming! It’ll be so much fun! Please?”
Collei looked around. Kaeya beamed, and Albedo offered a smaller smile. This little family, waiting to let her in… a place where she could be safe, where she could have friends, already did have a friend in Amber… She wanted to stay.
“I think I’d like that, Klee.”