Chapter Text
Layla taps against the door once more, if she doesn't get an answer in the next minute then she'll go to the drama/law student's flat. She waits in front of the door of her peer's apartment, fueled with caffeine and concern that brought her here to question Mona about why she hasn't been checking in on the group project the two were working on, no one on the project has heard from Mona, Layla hasn't even seen her respond in that one group chat if it weren't for general confirmation of work. Nor has she seen the astrologist outside as much, not that Layla went out often, considering she had just come out from a three day long study session only leaving for her classes this week and left with little sleep. The two had classes in the same building for archon's sake!
The cyro user can already feel the frost forming on her palm, she raises her hand to knock harder this time.
Shuffling is heard behind the closed door. "I'm coming Layla-!" the familiar sound of falling textbooks hitting the floor interrupts Mona along with a sharp wince, Layla squints in sympathy. Not a moment later the door opens to reveal the mage in loungewear and a pale expression, her eyes have the beginnings of bags from lack of sleep in addition to the messy low ponytail her hair is in. "When was the last time you slept?" Is her replacement greeting.
Mona huffs. "When was the last time you slept?"
The astrologist got the girl there. Layla changes her question. "How are you doing on the project for Professor Astronamantis?" The confusion that paints Mona's face answers for her. "I hope you didn't forget about your paper and your part of the research presentation, Megistus."
A minute passes before the realization catches up to the girl, Mona groans and leans against the door frame as she pinches the bridge of her nose, Layla can't help but notice the faint cyro energy emitting from Mona. She studies the girl, before she spares a glance towards the staircase; two floors up and they'd be at the archer's flat, maybe Layla could convince the blonde to get Mona back on track— or well, back to normal, Layla recognizes poor health in others easily with how sleep deprived she is. "How far have you gotten, if at all?"
Mona lowers her hand to lean her face against her fist in thought. "I have the sources done, I already have my slides plotted out as well as most of my script for the presentation, but I haven't started on my essay believe it or not." Mona reports. Layla relaxes momentarily, she lets a yawn escape and stretches her shoulder out.
"Thrasyllus is out on work study and Nicolaus is preparing for an internship, so I doubt we can hold a group collab session but I'm certain you and Fischl could host a study date like you've done between yourselves before. I'm sure the both of you could use the time to catch up to your classes." She murmurs, Layla had other classes to work on not to mention that lab she had to supervise because the professor she's a TA for had 'better things to do'. She really wasn't getting paid enough nor had the energy to teach a class full of first years because their professor was lazy.
The cryo energy that emitted faintly from Mona had grown in concentration into a shape of sorts, something like a twig, and it sat just within where the astrologist's chest cavity sat fixed. Layla was no medical student, nor was she a healer, but she was certain such a concentration so close to your heart and lungs was a sign to worry— maybe not fatal for a vision holder, certainly bad for one who doesn't even possess cryo.
Only proving her point, Mona coughs into her fist— coughing is too polite a descriptor, more like retching into her fist. Layla holds a hand out cautiously, she needs to get the hydro user inside. "Megistus… are you sick?" The hydro user pushes her hand away and shoos her off as she moves to hang onto her door.
Her face is paler than earlier. "No, no. No need to worry yourself, I'm completely fine-" Mona's eyes close shut as she once again begins coughing but a few dry coughs turn into suffocating heaving; Layla stands there for a few moments unsure of what to do. When she starts to hear chatter coming from down the hall she makes up her mind and guides her sick classmate inside, she shuts the door gently and allows the astrologist to hang on her shoulder as Layla leads the two to the closest seats available. Mona continues to fail at convincing her that she's fine.
As in-character as it is, Layla has no idea what to do, she's barely taken care of herself, let alone another individual. She prays to Lord Kusanaliall that all those lessons in health classes she's taken before haven't left her memory.
Layla lets go of Mona when they reach the blanket covered couch in her lounge area, Mona sucks in breaths as if she weren't able to breath, that's when she noticed the cryo energy was now past the hydro user's lungs and was now more concentrated at her jugular notch— she can remember anatomy but can't remember how to take care of someone? Layla may as well punch the astrologist in the stomach and hope that might cause enough shock to Mona to help or something— Layla reaches around Mona's shoulders and removes the hydro vision clipped to the back of her collar, she can't risk the two energies reacting.
Things only appear worse. While Mona wasn't physically struggling to breathe like before Layla was pretty certain that she wasn't even breathing now. She starts to fish for her phone. "Please don't tell me this is asthmatic issue- I'm going to shoot Fischl a message and call that one healer girl-"
Mona snatches Layla's phone then pushes the cryo user away. Beginning to gasp again, she hisses. "Don't tell Fischl! I'm fin-" Mona gags mid excuse and immediately she leans over the couch, a hand gripping her throat while the other cups her mouth as she vomits.
The cryo energy leaves her body, well most of it, the remaining bits outline the inside of her lungs and windpipe and mouth; the rest fall to the ground. As unpleasant as it would to hear puke landing on the ground, Layla barely hears anything. What sounds like a few drops of liquid and a few solid things landing on the ground— with barely any weight is her guess with how quiet it was. Layla lightly pats Mona's back as she moves to peek over the couch, why would she let someone who was sick clean that?
"Oh." Rose petals littered the floor along with thorny stems unfamiliar to Layla as well as speckles of red on everything from the floor to the purple gradient petals. Mona just threw up rose petals. Mona threw up flower stems with thorns (she wishes her eyes were playing tricks but were the stems emitting cryo energy???).
Dear Seven Archons, Mona threw up flowers and blood.
She looks back at Mona, Layla may not be a medical student or a healer, hell she's barely aware of what's normally healthy, but she knows the symptoms of common sicknesses; she also knows the symptoms of infamous diseases, for example: Hanahaki.
Mona looks bitterly at the mess, a bit of blood stains her bottom lip. She's breathing slowly, with each exhale there's wisps of cryo; the cryo that Layla noticed earlier is still there, however now she's able to gain a read on its nature: healing. She glances back down at the stems on the floor which emit the exact same nature to heal as well— now that she looks closely does Layla notice blood on the wide thorns caught on it as well as pink matter, her stomach churns uncomfortably at what it could be.
The two stay there, unsure how to continue, Mona wipes her lips with her hand and slowly gets up despite the almost miniscule trembling plaguing her whole body. Layla gently sits her back down and gets up herself.
She lets out a shaky sigh. "Do you wa- do you need water or?"
Mona shakes her head, and tries to get up herself. She's met with a cautious hand from Layla.
Mona huffs. "I'm not at the dying stage, or ever will be, nor can I feel the pain in my throat; the stems give a healing property." She explains calmly, a tinge of bitterness in her tone. Mona once again attempts to get up only to receive a done look from Layla, before she could come up with some excuse that she's fine Layla beats her to the punch
"If you don't sit down right now I'm reporting this to your Master and I'm telling Fischl you've come down with a painful illness and have not been taking care of yourself." She declares, surprisingly affirmative in her words and undoubtedly right.
The stare down between the two was quickly over as Mona actually ponders over the threat, not only being guilt tripped but also threatened, realizing that the cryo user was completely serious she sits back down. Mona quickly makes a small compromise, anything not to worry Fischl (or deal with her Master but that's not as important). "May I at least collect the stems, they're the only things keeping me from reaching the final stage."
Layla has not had enough sleep to process or think of anything properly, she walks around the couch and crouches over the petals and stems then covers the stems in a frost of cryo magic and picks them up. She quickly walked over to the small kitchen connected to the living room and placed the stems in a vase that sat inside the sink. She turns around and watches as Mona awkwardly stares back, a yawn escapes her and the habit of rubbing her eyes overwhelms her. She should really sleep.
She walks back over and grabs her phone from the arm of the couch before turning towards Mona. She yawns. "uh… I won't tell anyone but please take care of yourself, I'd help out more but I haven't slept properly since… since we had that short review on scientific methods. Honestly I wouldn't be much help here, but when you can, send me your essay outline and resources and I'll write you a rough draft; you need rest."
"Says the one who hasn't slept properly since last week." Mona quips, the look of disbelief from Layla only emphasizes the cryo user's point. "Thanks… I'll consider the help, thank you for helping me, you didn't have to."
Layla waves her off. "Please accept the offer, I'll check up on you later though, alright?"
Mona rolls her eyes. It wasn't like she was in immense pain, her throat was numb, so was her mouth, and she knows all the damage was already healing up. "Yeah, alright."
It's not like she was going to throw up again.
Sometimes Mona forgets that Fischl has a brother. She's met him once before, when he visited because he wanted to check up on his little sister— in her opinion they got along well. Even now with an increase in sumerian scholars and students as well as the new activities that came with them, the few times they've passed each other and acknowledged the other with a small wave or nod, it's always been peaceful and friendly. She rarely ever thinks about how the two blondes are related, so having the older blonde stare her down while they walk around the Mondstadt Apartments was not something she expected to experience. Nor did she expect how similarly the two looked when irritated.
Originally, they had simply bumped into each other. The architect looked beyond worried for whatever reason and Mona, being the considerate person she is, asked if he wanted any assistance or vague advice with a quick hydromancy based divination, instead Kaveh had politely smiled at her then requested the two talk. Of course, she agreed.
She faces forward, but her eyes try their best not to meet Kaveh's as he side-eyes her. Now, Mona's aware she can rub people the wrong way at times, hell maybe she's a bit punky— some people bring out that side of her, annoying people having it coming in her opinion but she has a lot of self-control and respect for others. For example, she knows her and that Yuheng had set each off on the wrong foot before because of a misunderstanding on Keqing's side and lack of clarity on her part. Nonetheless, she swears she hasn't done anything to annoy the Dendro user, or at least of note, but he wouldn't be staring at her like he was trying to burn her alive if it was a small moment of annoyance.
Finally, after a couple minutes of walking— walking behind the apartment building was honestly the most uncomfortable thing she could've done right now, Kaveh walks ahead of her and clears his throat as he halts. The blonde crosses his arms as he glares at Mona. "So," he begins. "I'm sure you're unaware of why you're here."
"Have I done anything to make you mad?" She asks cautiously; Kaveh's eyes widen in surprise for a moment, he tilts his head in confusion before his expression quickly changes back to one of seriousness. So not mad at her. Likely. Maybe. Though was he supposed to be lecturing her about something? He was certainly unprepared for it.
"No. Not directly at least." He answers, which doesn't help Mona at all. The blonde stands straight before leaning down to be at eye level with Mona as he whispers. "However, I could be. I may be generally cheerful and optimistic but I'll bury you alive in cement if you hurt Fischl. I've seen the way you look at her, Megistus."
Mona backs up immediately, she feels her ears burn, she doubts she could probably play it off as anger. "What. What are you insinuating?!" Her head begins to dull into pain, and her throat tightens; the feeling that she won't win this one by denying it settles into her core and along with her head beginning to throb in warning to the next onslaught of rose puking if she doesn't get this over with. She sucks in a sharp breath, Mona had nothing to worry about, she'd never do any harm to Fischl not without her own sacrifice to prevent such a thing from happening; that was even assuming she could enter such a relationship with the archer.
He looks at her with incredibly obvious doubt, a bit insulting actually, Mona thinks she did a rather good job covering her feelings. She sighs. "Okay, fine. Perhaps… I," Her throat clench and the urge to vomit churns at her insides, she inhales to soothe herself. "... do harbor feelings for her…" Mona turns away from Kaveh, she can't let him see her eyes becoming watery.
Kaveh huffs. "I know; that's why I brought you here." Mona could feel the rigid Dendro energy emitting from his person, he stood back up, cracking his neck and shoulders as he does, perhaps in an attempt to intimidate her? He sighs in frustration, Kaveh raises a hand to lay on his head. "Look. I'm not against your feelings for Fischl nor of you pursuing my sister, however, I am against you hurting her and her own feelings."
Mona wants to be able to comprehend what he said, but she can hear the blood rushing in her ears and she feels the petals and the incoming thorns in her throat, her breathing is slow and thankfully soothingly cold. She's close to tears, and really there's nothing she can do then just grind her teeth while out. Mona lets out a shaky exhale. "Well, I. I appreciate the shovel talk, you mustn't worry, I'm stubborn but I'm not aggressively ignorant. I'd rather give up my divination than do such a thing to Fischl, I will not be acting on these feelings." She admits honestly and also, honestly, a bit mindlessly.
The older blonde uncrosses his arms, his intimidating stance developing into a more concerned one. Mona pays no mind though, she doesn't have any energy to spare for that, her head is a constant heavy hum of pain and she needs to leave now.
The mage turns her head to face the architect, who's still giving her a concern once over, she keeps her eyes on the ground and her head bowed. She rigidly bows, before spinning around and starting to speed walk back inside, or at least somewhere private and enpty. "I need to go. Have a wonderful night!"
He holds a hand out in surprise, his older brother instincts ready for immediate action. "Wait! Hold on, let me help." Kaveh moves closer, hands out like he was expecting her to fall. Her vision is duller than normal— hers would always have a faint glow unless she was hurt, Mona's pale and swaying to the side on each step like a drunkard
Mona waves off his attention, feeling awkward on top of hanahaki trying to choke her. "I'm fine, Kaveh. I'm just a bit feveris-" she stumbles when the first coughing fit begins, stealing her of her air and almost suffocating her then and there. Out of instinct she held a hand to cover her mouth the moment it started, unfortunately, when she uncovered her mouth her hand wasn't empty. The hydro user curses under her breath. "This wasn't supposed to happen, nothing unpleasant was foretold."
Snapping her out of her self-lecture, she automatically covered her mouth with both hands and puked into them. The petals quickly filling the small space before the thorns can; Kaveh immediately starts guiding her towards the wall of the building to lean against as she choked violently on the floral and painful retching. Mona can hear him apologize, potential solutions and apologies spew rapid fire from him as he tries to figure out what to do, she presses her forehead against the cool material of the outer building wall as he starts awkwardly patting her back and very kindly holding her hair back for her.
Hanahaki is, without a doubt, a frustrating disease. Unlike how it's commonly depicted, it's realistically the easiest one to cure, and simultaneously the hardest to prevent. A variety of different strands, all fatal, all curable, most of the fatalities are because those who contract it tend to refuse the treatment, Mona being one of them. She could've easily scheduled an appointment to remove the flowers the moment the petals started, definitely should've when the thorns started, but for some reason it's… comforting. Love hurts, the common message drawn from the Hanahaki disease; but isn't it somewhat comforting that the pain you feel loving someone has a physical embodiment? Not that you should feel pain to love someone, no, never, but that the pain you've felt before was valid all along. The romance of pain is a shared experience, whether miniscule in scale to others, and you were never pathetic or wrong to feel the phantom pain in your heart.
Her variant of the disease, after research in the very few cases that have been recorded, not a single person died dwelling in their disease; it was only ever rejection— which Mona doesn't plan to come forth with her feelings at all so not a worry for the foreseeable future, or someone had directly informed the object of their affection (read: the lovely Fischl in this case)— a concern she should probably become more defensive on. Perhaps, Mona is being ridiculous, refusing to remove the flowers literally growing in her lungs because she's too protective of her love for the wretchedly great archer. A masochistic decision she must admit, her well-being was on the line, there is a chance she could die because someone slips up mid-conversation.
Slowly, she uncups her hands.
Unavoidably, the excess petals fall to the ground— unsurprisingly these ones covered in specks of blood, hopefully the cover of night would hide that detail. Mona can't really care at the moment, she. holds her hands close to her chest, hoping the rest don't fall. She turns her head to the side to look at Kaveh, the top of her head still leaning against the wall. "Thanks…" She croaks out.
"Don't tell Fischl."
Kaveh's eyes flip from both the petals on the floor and back to her face, his free hand hovers over his mouth, covering what Mona suspects is his jaw hanging, in shock. He swallows hard before dropping his hand.
"Oh fuck."