You soon learned from the map that Sumeru city was quite the distance away from port Ormos. It would take you days to reach there. But you were really motivated to give it your all after coming out from the cold and darkness of Snezhnaya. You gathered the bag of mora around your waist and headed for Sumeru city.
The waverider that you got could only go up till Gandharva Ville. you got off the wave rider and looked around.
Gandharva Ville was a lush green forest. The trees reached high up in the skies and the clear pond water was speckled with lotus leaves. The forest air smelled fresh after breathing in the cold musty air of Dottore's lab. There were several root bridges intertwined towards different tree houses.
"Hi!" A chirpy voice greeted you.
You turned and saw a girl about your age. She had moss green hair and carried a bow and arrows.
"Are you new here?" she asked.
You were still in your clothes from inazuma. The blood stains still existed down your shirt. A little embarrassed, you just stared downwards. You still couldn't talk. it would be weeks before the potion's effect wore off. However, in sumeru, no one had to know that you were here for Scaramouche. You would do this right this time around. Your grip tightened on the letter in your pocket. You would lay low as you had been instructed.
"I'm Collei," the girl replied "I'm a trainee forest ranger. You look hurt. Are you okay?"
You nodded your head.
"You know what? You don't seem okay to me," Collei said as she stared you down, her gaze fixated on all the dried up blood. "Come with me please."
You did not wish to stir up any more trouble. In fact it was a good thing the potion was working. That saved you from saying anything that might impact Scaramouche's big plans. You followed Collei silently.
You both started walking up a root bridge and reached a tree house slightly larger than the rest. Collei knocked on the door.
"Master Tighnari?" She called out, "You should take a look at this."
After a few seconds, a man came out. He had dark green hair and a pair of tall green fox ears stood out from his head. This was the first time you were seeing a species like him. In inazuma, you only had Guuji Yae who seemed like a fox lady.
"What seems to be the problem, Collei?" the green haired person asked. But Collei didn't have to answer. One look at you and his expression turned into a frown.
"Please come in," he said to you in a somber tone. "Thank you, Collei. you may go back to your duties."
You went inside the treehouse as Collei departed.
"I'm Tighnari," the man went on. "I am in charge of maintaining peace in the forests of Gandharva Ville. You seem like a traveller?"
You nodded your head in approval.
"Where do you come from, traveller?"
You stood there silently. At this point you knew well enough not to force yourself to talk. It already hurt a lot.
Tighnari raised his eyebrow and gave you a strict piercing look.
"Are you unable to talk?" he asked.
You nodded again, thankful that you won't have to be doing any explaining.
"Okay then," Tighnari pulled open a drawer and procured a parchment and a quill. "Let's converse in writing."
You shook your head sideways. It was just easier to pretend you couldn't write either.
"You can't write either?" Tighnari said. But you could get a feeling that he wasn't buying your lie. "Fair enough. I'll just examine you. Nothing to worry. Just standard protocols for travellers entering into Sumeru. I hope you understand?"
You could well understand it won't be easy fooling this fox boy. You complied.
"Let's start with the cause of all this blood on your shirt," Tighnari took a step forward and examined the dried up stains. But more than that it seemed as if he was examining what you wore.
"Inazuma, eh?" Tighnari muttered as he examined your outfit intently. "Huh. That is strange."
Tighnari took another step forward and his gaze pierced your eyes.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but is that not the Kamisato crest on your shirt?"
Not only did this person figure out you're from Inazuma, he also recognized the Kamisato crest on your shirt. Taken aback at the thought that Tighnari might realise you were lying, you stepped backwards and tripped on a potted plant. As you fell back on the floor, the sheets of parchment and the pen fell out of your pocket and Tighnari swooped in like a hawk and snatched it away before you could lay your hands on them.
"This seems like a letter. And judging from the fact that you have a pen in your belongings, I'd say you CAN write. I thought it to be quite strange that someone associated with the Kamisatos wouldn't know how to write," Tighnari explained with a smirk.
You lunged forward to grab your letter from him but Tighnari was nimble on his feet.
"I have no interest in going through the contents of this," he said, "However, I will not be entertaining anymore lies. I just wish that you would comply with us, traveller. We have a lot of stuff to do and I do not have the whole day for you. So please. Let's start from the top. I ask once more. Where are you from?"
Tighnari returned the letter to you and guided you to a desk. He set out the quill and parchment and sat beside you.
You knew there was no way out of this. You started writing.
*I come from Inazuma*
"What is your name?"
*y/n*
"Is the blood yours?"
*yes*
"How did you get hurt?"
*I accidentally drank muting potion. Then I tried to speak out of habit but that ended up scorching my throat.*
"How did you come across a muting potion?"
*I found it in the store room of the ship I was traveling in. I mistook it for normal cold medicine.*
"Why did you decide to lie, y/n?"
You paused writing. Why did you lie? To lay low. To not hamper Scaramouche's grand plan. What should you reply indeed?
*I am just a traveller. This is my first time in Sumeru. I guess I fumbled under pressure.*
"Are you sure you're alright, y/n?"
*yes. absolutely.*
"Okay then," Tighnari got up, "is there any way the forest rangers can help you?"
*I have to reach Sumeru city where I have my room booked. i will be fine by my own*
"Okay then, y/n," Tighnari poured you a glass of water. "I'll send for Collei. She will do a basic check up on you for any side effects of this muting potion. Then you are free to go."
You nodded in approval and gulped down the water. Tighnari exited the room in search of Collei. You looked around. The room was filled with books. Bookshelves. Books lying around on tables and even on the floor. Tighnari must be a really intelligent person the way he saw right through your lie. So was Collei. She was quick to understand that something was weird and brought you over to Tighnari. Sumeru afterall was the nation of wisdom. No wonder the people are so intelligent. You handled the situation for now but for how long could you keep it up?
Tighnari's POV:
Tighnari found Collei patrolling the forests at a distance.
"Master," Collei ran to him as soon as she saw him approaching her. "What happened to the girl?"
"We should inform the traveller, Collei," Tighnari said gravely. "She says she 'accidentally' drank some muting potion but everyone knows that potion is illegal all across Teyvat. You can't possibly come across it in a random inazuman ship."
"So she lied?"
"Partly. She is indeed unable to talk. But she is clearly hiding something. For someone travelling from inazuma, she has no belongings. just a mora bag and some letter. The blood on her shirt. Things don't sit right with this one."
"I'll go for the traveller right now, Master."
"No. I kept her waiting back at my place. you return and do a basic health check up on her. she has a few broken teeth and bruises on her neck and forehead. Treat them. Then guide her to Sumeru city to her lodging. She can't speak but she can write. Take some blank parchment and pens along with you, in case you need to talk to her. Once you see her off at her room, go find the traveller."
Collei listened to each of Tighnari's words with utmost attention. Then she headed towards the treehouse.
Tighnari looked worriedly at the distant treehouse where y/n awaited. Something was definitely up. Was this new stranger foreshadowing a bigger storm across Sumeru?