#the comments section going “oh i thought it was kaeya”

[kaeyachi]

are some of the capitano face guessers aware that they are accidentally making someone that looks like kaeya?

[heartslogos]

no star in isolation [3]

The apple had been a bad decision. Mona can see that, now, but hindsight is always superior to the thoughts of the present. Of course there had been a reason why those apples were untouched, left at the bottom of the crate by the hilchurls.

Even the hilchurls could tell that eating them wasn’t worth it.

They looked alright. But they had tasted dry and mealy, not yet rotten but getting there. The one apple she managed to stomach left a strange filmy residue on her teeth that took ages and a lucky find of mint to scrub off. Mona doesn’t want to know how old those apples were, or what they’d gone through, to get such a texture. But she’d been so very, very hungry and begs aren’t afford to be picky. So she’d eaten the apple down to the core and felt thankful for having that much.

It was free, after all.

But she’s regretting it now. The apple might not have been rotten, but it was unsatisfying. It seemed like enough at the time — enough that she left behind the other two that she’d found, another decision she’s starting to regret now that hunger pangs are making her want to curl over herself. She should’ve eaten the other two, no matter how strange and particularly unpleasant they had felt in her mouth. Mona is hungry again and she doubts there’s going to be much in the way of free, or practically free, food to be found in the areas this close to the vibrant and bustling city of Mondstadt proper.

Rather than satisfying her hunger as she’d hoped, the apple seems to have made it worse. Her stomach seems to now recall how poorly she’s been neglecting it in favor of feeding her mind’s appetites. If only she could live on research alone and the satisfaction that comes from connecting new ideas and theories together!

Even with her wide brimmed hat the early afternoon sun of Mondstadt is already causing Mona to feel sluggish. She quickly ducks behind some buildings, searching out somewhere quiet and shaded where she won’t be spotted.

It wouldn’t do for the Astrologist Mona Megistus to be caught slumped over and curled up in the middle of the day. How unbecoming!

She just needs a moment to sit down and get herself under control and think out her next moves. She can risk fighting a few more hilchurls and hoping their camps have something edible, or foraging in the areas farther out from Mondstadt. That is, if she has the energy for it.

Her next check from The Steambird isn’t due to be deposited into her account for another week. She has rent due the same week, and she also has to pay down the interest on the new set of charts she’s having shipped from Liyue. Mona has some mora set aside for that she was going to have wired over along with the interest fee, but she may have to dip into that to buy whatever Blanche may be willing to liquidate at a sharply discounted price.

Mona’s stomach turns over on itself making her wince a little. Chances are that whatever Mona can afford would be of similar condition as the apple she’d eaten earlier. It would still be better than nothing.

Her stomach lets out an embarrassingly loud rumble. Mona clamps both hands over it, scowling down as though she can bully her body into obedience. What an embarrassing situation for Mona Megistus! But this is the suffering she endures for the sake of her studies.

The sound of a soft chuckle startles Mona into almost falling over as she scrambles to her feet. Her heel catches the edge of her cape as she stands, almost sending her pitching forward before a hand catches the back of her cape and holds her steady.

Mona looks over her shoulder and sees red, red, red.

Oh! Fate is being exceptionally spiteful today.

Master Diluc is leaning out a window she hadn’t noticed was open earlier — partially obscured by some stacked crates — arm stretched out and holding the back of her cape. Seeing that she’s alright now, he lets go. His broad shoulders twist a little as he turns in the window to see her better, brilliant red hair flowing over one shoulder.

Mona quickly straightens up, adjusting her cape and hat before bowing.

“Apologies, Master Diluc for such an unsightly meeting!”

She hadn’t realized that the building she’d taken refuge behind was the Angel’s Share.

Diluc waves his hand, shrugging. “As far as meetings go this is far from the worst.” He leans his elbows on the windowsill, eyes squinting at her, “You’re…Mona? The astrologist?”

Mona nods, entering another bow — this time with a flourish of her cape, “Astrologist Mona Megistus, at your service.”

Her wonderfully proper and elegant bow is ruined by the sound of her stomach letting out another horrifically loud and petulant sounding grumble that Mona attempts to — and definitely fails at — covering up by forcing a laugh.

Diluc’s eyebrows are raised into his bangs.

“Right,” he says slowly, “Well. This is the Angel’s Share. Also at your service. Come inside and eat something before you faint.”

“Oh, no — I — “ Mona stumbles over her current predicament.

“If you faint,” Diluc says, “It looks bad for business. A young lady passed out right next to the Angel’s Share. I’d have the knights swarming the place and asking a million frivolous questions.”

“I appreciate the concern, but at the moment my funds are tied up in…other ventures,” Mona replies. “I haven’t the mora to afford to Angel’s Share.”

Diluc continues to stare at her. He points around the corner.

“We aren’t that pricey. It’s almost empty in here,” he says, either ignoring her embarrassing but wonderfully worded proclamation or not caring, “We open at eleven but we don’t really get many people coming in until ‘round evening.”

And with that he retreats back into the Angel’s Share, leaving Mona to stare at the empty window.

Mona finds herself entering the bar. The cool, dim interior immediately makes her shoulders relax as she sighs in relief. She takes her hat off, holding it to her chest as she looks around. She’s been inside the Angel’s Share before. Usually with Kaeya or Lisa. And usually late into the night when the place is packed with people and the bards are deep into their craft.

Empty and quiet as it is, Mona almost doesn’t recognize the place. She feels a little like an interloper.

Diluc comes from around back, pulling his hair higher up and off of his neck to tie it back. Mona takes a seat at the bar, carefully setting her hat onto the free seat next to her.

“I thought the Angel’s Share doesn’t serve food,” Mona says as she watches Diluc prepare a glass. She’s certainly enough complaints from Kaeya about that very fact.

“Oh?” Diluc hums, “And where did you get that information from?”

“Kaeya,” Mona answers and then grimaces.

Diluc raises an eyebrow at her, “You shouldn’t listen to everything Kaeya says.”

He a tall glass of something blue and cold towards her. Her nose tickles with the smell of mint and her mouth waters a little at the sight of the perfectly golden berries.

“Serving food is relatively new. We’re testing it out for now,” Diluc admits, “During the Windblume festival this year we received many comments regarding the fact that we don’t serve anything to pair with our drinks, while the Cat’s Tail does. We listen to our customer’s feedback and try to address it when we can, especially when it can help us against our competitors.”

Mona sips the drink, toes curling in her boots as the cool, refreshing mint flavor spreads over her body.

“I didn’t realize the Angel’s Share had competitors.” Mona certainly knows that Margaret considers the Cat’s Tail to be a competitor to the Angel’s Share, but she didn’t think it was reciprocal.

Diluc shrugs his shoulders, slowly rolling his sleeves up. “Allergies?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have any allergies?” Diluc asks.

“No, wait — “

But before Mona can stop him Diluc has already nodded and disappeared into the back room behind the bar. She can only guess that it’s the kitchen area.

Mona groans. She wonders if she can open a tab. She thinks she’s heard Kaeya or Lisa mentioning having a tab here before.

While Mona is mentally rearranging her finances to accommodate for this sudden and rather strange turn of events, Diluc comes out with what looks like a tower of meat. Mona’s eyes pop as he sets it front of her.

It smells amazing and Mona’s stomach agrees because it lets out another gurgle.

“Eat it slowly,” Diluc warns her.

“I — that’s a lot,” Mona says, but she can’t take her eyes off of it. So much meat! Mona already knows it’s going to taste divine, but she’s going to be feeling sluggish and sleepy for hours after. She’ll have to drag herself back to her little house and sleep it off. It’ll be her entire day. And possibly evening. “I — don’t suppose you serve salads.”

Diluc snorts out a laugh, shaking his head and turning away to wipe down another section of the bar.

“I thought as much,” Mona sighs. “I — I meant it when I said I don’t have the funds right now.”

She bites her lip. She’s loathe to use her hard earned skills as an astrologist for such material matters as this, but she’s also equally as reluctant to accept someone else’s pity.

“If you like I can forecast the harvest for you in exchange for your kindness, Master Diluc,” Mona says.

Diluc shakes his head again, “No need. Mondstadt is bountiful with stable seasons. I have no need of such a thing.”

Mona scowls. “A personal fortune, then?”

Diluc shoots her a dry look over his shoulder.

Mona squares her shoulders, crossing her own arms. “I insist on a fair exchange. I do not have mora with me, but I do have my skills as an astrologer. It would not do for me to accept such a kindness without returning it with something of my own.”

The man sighs, turning towards her, “Alright. What do you need to do your work?”

Mona hums, squinting at him. “What’s your constellation?”

“Noctua,” he replies.

Nothing new to be found there, then. Mona knows enough about Diluc Ragnvindr that Noctua isn’t much of a surprise. She doubts he’d be very interested in her telling him about the darkness before the dawn or a wealth of tragedy followed by a boon of grace.

She holds out her hand. “Palm.”

Diluc’s eyebrows raise as he holds his hand out to her.

Mona takes his palm in hers, narrowing her eyes as she examines the lines of his hand. She’s momentarily surprised by the callouses and scars on his hand. She’d expected a wealthy man such as himself to have finger hands — more well cared for. There are even faint traces of burns, a few she can see that splotch and dot Diluc’s pale arm.

Then again, he is a former knight. And he is still a formidable fighter. Mona doubts that Diluc has managed to maintain his figure by overseeing a bar and walking about vineyards while inspecting invoices all day.

Mona traces the air above his hand as she studies the grooves of his palm in the dim lighting of the bar.

“Air hands,” Mona mutters to herself. “With a sunken Apollo. Flat Venus. Imbalanced Mars with a fragmented heart line.”

She sighs, looking up at Diluc. “You need to focus more on the people who are still with you. It’s going to be painful and unpleasant, but that’s what needs to be done or you’ll face regrets for the rest of your days. And I mean more than whatever you already feel.”

She moves her hands away from Diluc’s. “Also you should just tell Kaeya that if he’s hungry you’ll feed him. Even if the Cat’s Tail somehow overtakes the Angel’s Share Kaeya’s still going to come here instead of there. You’ve already got what they don’t have.”

Diluc’s hand remains in place, held tense.

“And that is?” He asks, voice low and teetering between anger and something much more fragile.

Mona looks Diluc straight in the eye. This is her own sort of kindness. Diluc fed a starving astrologer with his own hands, so Mona will return his own sort of hunger with hers.

“A taste of home, Master Diluc,” Mona replies evenly. New to Mondstadt she may be, an unfamiliar with many of the people and the ways their lives have woven together and frayed apart, but there are some things that cannot be hidden from the stars and their reflections.

Brothers raised by the same hand in the same roof — regardless of blood shared — will have similar tells. And while Mona hasn’t spent very much time interacting with Diluc, she’s had plenty of time with Kaeya to spot the similarities.

Diluc’s breath leaves him as he closes his eyes, fingers curling into his palm as he pulls his hand back and turns away from her. Mona takes up her fork and knife, turning to face her own personal challenge of tucking away this tower of meat.

“Thank you,” he says after a moment.

“You are most welcome Master Diluc,” Mona says, “And if you’re taking suggestions for your new menu might I suggest something lighter than a tower of steaks?”