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you’re always welcome in my home,
five times albedo and klee showed they were family to mona, and the one time mona felt she was family to them.
1.
perhaps one could call her creepy if they considered the way she was currently eyeing good hunter, brows furrowed even as her mouth watered. out of habit, her hand came to rest on her hip, aimlessly fumbling around for her mora pouch even though barbatos himself knew it was empty.
mona sighed for the nth time that evening, attaching her wallet to her hip as she pressed her fingers against her stomach. but, archons above, she was so hungry, the satisfying salad she had had a few days older finally losing the temporary satisfaction it rewarded her with. another sigh as she watched a group of girls walking up to the counter, ordering a bountiful heap of food before giggling as they sat down at one of the tables. maybe if she made friends food would be easier to come by, she mused, pursing her lips as she thought.
but mona megistus didn’t need friends (that’s what she told herself). she was capable enough to care for herself, after all, how else would she pay for the home she was currently renting?
“excuse me!” a voice called, and mona felt her eyes widen as she turned on her heel, the gazes of the few patrons present whirling to where she stood lurking in the shadows.
she met the child’s scarlet gaze before she noticed the man beside her, her signature red hat missing from her head as she beamed up at her. mona tried to smile, dusting off her front. “well, hello there, klee,” she started, eyes flickering upwards. “albedo,” she added, nodding when he looked her over. “such a surprise seeing you two here.”
klee nodded vigorously. “it is a surprise seeing you here, miss!” she exclaimed, and mona winced again. just how was she supposed to escape this sudden intrusion? she was just trying to figure out what (and how) to eat, not trying to make a conversation.
and then her body betrayed her, a grumble escaping her stomach just as she was about to dismiss the blond pair.
the alchemist fixed her with a hard look as klee blinked, eyes widening as she looked at mona’s front. Then her gaze lifted to her own, bright red meeting seafoam as her brows creased together. “are you hungry, miss mona?” klee asked, and mona wished she could have dissolved into a puddle right then and there. “if you are, albedo wouldn’t mind paying, right albedo?” the child continued, tugging on the man’s arm as she looked up at him.
he hummed, turning to look at mona before nodding. “i don’t see why not. is good hunter alright?”
good hunter is perfect is what she wanted to say, but to save whatever semblance of dignity she had left, she tilted her chin before shrugging. “and i don’t see a problem with that.”
she was in front of them before albedo had a chance to reply, trying to cool her cheeks despite the embarrassing flush that coated her face. being called out and humiliated by a child wasn’t on mona’s task list, and yet here she was, standing in line next to said child and her caretaker as the sun painted monstadt’s red roofs in a bright golden glow.
the girl bounced on her heels as she propped herself up on her toes, beaming at sara as she thought. “can i get a fisherman’s toast today, miss sara? do you think you can do the pretty loopys on it too?” klee asked, and the woman behind the counter smiled.
“i sure can!” she replied, laughing. “and what about you two?”
mona blanched. now this is what she was dreading; having to pick a meal that she wasn’t paying for. instinctively, her manners came in to play. it would be plain rude to order something too expensive as she wasn’t paying for it, but she also had to consider what could keep her for the next day or two. a groan as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
still, she jumped when albedo spoke up, face molded into that of impassivity as he ordered. “may we get three hash browns, a seafood soup, and --” he turned to her, bright blue meeting her gaze easily.
“a satisfying salad,” she said easily, ignoring klee’s ‘just a salad?’
mona averted her gaze, moving to sit at the other table and klee, the little devil, followed on her heels. she propped her head up in her hands, sending the older woman a cheeky smile. “y’know albedo would’ve let you order whatever you wanted, right?” she asked again, and mona sighed internally. “you sounded really hungry back there. you’re lucky he got us some hash browns too.”
she blinked. “those hash browns are for me as well?”
“of course they are,” albedo said flatly, and her eyes snapped up to his as he sat down, thanking sara as she helped him put the platters on the table. “if you think i can eat four of those on my own, you’d be mistaken.”
at this he pushed the salad and hash brown towards her, his gaze never leaving hers as he did. “eat,” he said, and mona felt her eyes widen at his blunt command. the moment was gone as soon as it came, though, a small smile pulling at his lips as he fixed klee’s food in front of her.
the sudden change was shocking at first, his eyes creasing at the edges as he adjusted the napkin on the girl’s lap. their lips were moving but she couldn’t hear their words, mind wandering as she brought the salad to her mouth. a sigh escaped her frame, her shoulders sagging as she moved to break off a piece of the hash brown, dipping it in the jam before eating it too.
klee giggled. “it seems miss mona likes the food, albedo!” she said, and he nodded, smiling warmly.
“it does,” he replied, raising a piece of his hash brown in pseudo cheers before eating it, a strange twinkling in his ocean eyes as he nodded in her direction.
2.
there was something embarrassing about being chased after by a child one was trying so blatantly to ignore.
which was the exact reason as to why she was tugging her hat down so that it hid her face, fist clenched by her side as she weaved through the busy streets of monstadt’s autumn morning rush. and yet she couldn’t shake off the little spark knight, the girl’s insistent yelling reaching her even as she tried to evade it.
“miss mona! miss mona!” klee exclaimed, the sounds of her bag on her back filtering through her ears. “i have something for you, miss mona! m-iss m-ona!”
that was it, she hissed, grinding to a halt before whirling on her foot. “my goodness, klee! what on earth are you screeching at me for?” she grit out, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes at the small girl.
klee, the little screamer, didn’t seem to take the hint, her smile brightening when she realized she had mona’s attention. “it’s because i have something for you!” she said again, dropping her bag on the floor. mona barely masked her wince, brows creased as the child rummaged through her belongings.
and then her jaw fell when klee produced a coat, taupe in colour and accented by various shades of indigo and violet. that was the coat she bought for herself after saving up a whole two months worth of adventurer wages, eyes blown wide as her fingers shook.
“where on earth did you get this from?” she muttered, grabbing the coat from the child. it looked so much better than when she last saw it, and she blinked when she caught the softest whiff of musky earth, vanilla and calla lilies tinged with the telltale scent of gunpowder.
the girl pressed a hand to her chest as she beamed. “you left it with albedo after you dropped me off two nights ago, remember?” klee asked, and mona nodded slowly as she did. that was right. she was so exhausted as she helped albedo get klee to bed, she had dropped her coat on the coach in his office when she deemed it too warm for the indoors and promptly forgot about it.
“albedo had it pressed and cleaned for you too! so now you can wear it whenever you’re ready!” she said, and mona sighed as a half-hearted smile pulled at her lips.
she shook her head, folding the coat over her arm. “do tell albedo thank you for me,” she replied, and klee nodded, waving as she bounced off in the way she came.
how lucky mona was to find her coat free of soot and blackened powder.
3.
cold nipped at her fingertips and licked her nose, staining her cheeks with pink even after she and klee slipped into marjorie’s shop, the door slamming shut behind them as the wind howled. she barely caught the little girl’s jacket as she shucked it off her shoulders, prancing around the shop that was bare of its usual patrons.
the shop owner sent them an easy smile, moving around the counter to eye klee who was currently touching every little thing. mona sighed heavily. “good evening, marjorie. i would hope the wind is treating you well?” she asked, glancing at a shimmering necklace on one of the stands.
the other woman laughed softly, brows creasing when klee bumped into a display with a wild turn. “indeed it is,” she replied, straightening her dress as mona tightened her coat around her shoulders. “how might i serve you this evening?”
mona pursed her lips, smiling sheepishly when klee finally found her place by her side. “we’re looking to buy a birthday gift for albedo, the chief alchemist and captain of the investigation team for the knights of favonius,” mona said curtly, ignoring the way marjorie blinked at her mouthful of words. she huffed at this, crossing her arms as she pretended to be interested in a few watches. so what if she liked to boast? she had her reasons.
“well, i hate to disappoint you, but i’m afraid i don’t know albedo well enough to help with a gift,” she admitted, and mona barely masked her frown. “do you ladies have any idea as to what he might like?”
they looked at each other then, scarlet meeting seafoam as they shared an equally dumbfounded expression. klee, the little saviour, shook her head. “we actually don’t know what albedo would like either,” she said, and mona hid her face when it flushed over with embarrassment. marjorie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
she admitted to not paying much attention as the woman walked them around the story, pointing out flashy items and books from overseas that all would have caught her attention if it wasn’t for the small, dingy book she saw at the bottom of the shelf.
“what about this one, klee?” mona asked, flipping through the blank off white pages.
the girl wandered over to her side, stretching up on her toes as mona showed her the book. klee gasped. “a sketchbook! that’s perfect, miss mona!” klee grabbed the book, fiddling with the worn lock that held the pages together. “i would’ve never thought to get this for albedo! but he always draws dodoco for me so it’s kinda silly that i didn’t think of it,” she babbled, and mona shot marjorie another apologetic look.
the two adults dismissed klee’s idle chatter as they walked towards the front desk, and mona felt her stomach drop when she realized where they were.
they were currently standing in marjorie’s shop with the intention of buying albedo a book. buying a book for the man who covered all her expenses ever since they sat down for a meal at good hunter.
distress settled on her chest, her brows furrowing together as marjorie announced their grand total of two thousand mora. she gawked, uncaring of her rudeness as klee pressed against her side, eyes heavy with sleep. “isn’t that too expensive?” she exclaimed, frowning. “it’s just a blank book for all i care! no words! nothing of value! and yet it’s two thousand mora!?”
marjorie’s happy smile fell away at the edges. “but it is a rather good quality sketchbook. the cover is made from the finest leather and the pages from that used by the scholars of sumeru. it would be a shame for me to sell it at something much less than it is worth,” she replied, and mona pouted as she held her chin. oh dear, oh dear, this wouldn’t do, not at all! how on earth was she and klee supposed to buy a book for albedo if they were both mora-less!?
klee popped up beside her, shoving the book and what seemed to be a new set of coloured pencils towards marjorie. “you can just put it on albedo’s tab,” she said smartly, standing back on the balls of her feet.
mona gasped just as marjorie gaped, eyes wide as they stared at the child as if she had grown a set of horns and fangs.
“ah... excuse me for reminding but… isn’t the gift for albedo? why would you put it on his tab?” she asked, already moving to make the note.
the girl shrugged. “it is, but he always tells me to say ‘put it on albedo’s tab’ when i have no mora with me,” klee said, smiling. “and since i have no mora, and miss mona definitely has no mora, we have to put it on his tab,” she finished, and mona clutched her chest as if an arrow was just thrown through it.
“i see,” marjorie said slowly, nodding her head as she bagged the items. “but don’t you think that defeats the purpose of the gift?”
mona heaved out a sigh, taking the bag from the shop owner. “it does, but klee is right. when you’re as broke as us, mora doesn't matter anymore. it’s the thought that counts.”
after that incident, mona vowed never to look marjorie’s way again, fixing the coat on klee’s shoulder as they stepped out into the snowy streets of monstadt. she was most definitely embarrassed, but she was sure albedo would like the gift anyways, hiding a laugh as klee swung their intertwined hands.
4.
“i do not see the purpose in such a fruitless task,” mona said flatly, tossing the pencil onto the small table. albedo raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything, shaking his head as he leaned back in his seat. klee, however, took full offense, eyes widening as she slammed her hands down on the table.
“you think drawing dodoco is fruitless!?” she gasped, and mona blinked, passing her fingers through her hair as she watched the little girl. and then klee frowned, holding her chin. “uh, albedo… what does fruitless mean? i don’t remember.”
albedo sent mona a dry look, one she returned with an equally dry shrug. “fruitless is when something is unproductive or useless, unachiveing anything of value,” the alchemist told her, resting his pencil down to sweep his hair out of his ocean eyes. at this time of day, the sun seemed to play tricks on the sandy, platinum blond strands, painting them with streaks of gold that put the finest core lapis to shame.
she blinked, looking back at klee, the latter of which was shaking her head dramatically.
“drawing dodoco is not a waste of time, miss mona,” klee said smartly, brows furrowed. “albedo and i do it all the time because dodoco is really easy and fun to draw,” she explained, and mona nodded slowly as she propped her head up in her hands. klee took this as an invitation to continue, skipping over to albedo’s side to take the sketchbook he had in his lap. she opened in front of mona, ignoring albedo’s sudden discomfort as she flipped through the pages.
there, mona openly stared as she took the book from klee, passing her fingers over the old yellowed pages. she did her best not to smudge the old lead, sweeping her thumb over a messy array of pictures. some included dodoco, most had some variation of klee’s handwriting, other pages boasted lines and lines of projects, procedures and notes, while others had the faces of a few people she had seen around monstadt.
she saw sucrose and her friend from liyue, kaeya and master jean, the tired librarian and the redheaded rich man, but then she saw herself. her brows pinched together as she thought, only to have her eyes widen a tad.
mona remembered this day; she had gone out with albedo and klee around the city to visit the many windmills. the little girl had insisted she helped her pick flowers for jean, and the alchemist had captured her when she least expected it, arms full of flowers as she bent down to tell klee something, the words lost to monstadt’s winds.
when she looked up, albedo was busy with something else, digging his pencil into the skin of his palm. she smothered another smile, only to jump when klee clicked her tongue as she grabbed the book again.
“ugh, albedo! none of these are dodoco,” she complained, and the man sighed as he beckoned her to come near, pointing out the newer drawings of her favourite stuffed animal.
if she looked hard enough, though, she could’ve sworn his pale cheeks were dusted with the fairest pink.
5.
the door shut without any complaint, the lock clicking into place as albedo stepped away from the threshold. “my apologies. it took her quite a while to fall asleep tonight,” he explained, resting a book on the desk before nodding at her. “will you be taking your leave now?”
mona hummed, standing to stretch before picking up her hat. “i just might,” she said coolly, fixing it on her head, and albedo tilted his head to the side.
“let me walk you home then,” he offered, fixing his gloves as he moved to get his coat.
the astrologist shook her head, following his actions to take her own spring coat off the stand, throwing it over her shoulders. she narrowed her eyes at him, raising an eyebrow in his direction. “and why might you need to do such a thing? shouldn’t you stay here with klee?”
albedo sent her a dry look. “can i not walk a friend home, miss megistus?” he countered, and she smothered a smile as he copied her expression. “and if it concerns you so much, sucrose is still here, see?”
at this, his mint haired assistant stuck her head out of a door, sending her a well-mannered wave. “It’s alright, miss mona! i’ve watched klee a bunch of times before, so she’ll be safe with me. no need to worry about albedo taking you out,” sucrose said quickly, a smile on her face before her eyes widened. she shoved her glasses up her nose, gaze downcast as her cheeks flushed red. “er, i mean walking you home! not, uh, taking you out.”
they glanced at each other before mona sighed, waving away the girl. “if she’s okay with sucrose, i don’t see why not,” mona grumbled, watching albedo put on his coat before opening the door for her.
the sweet fragrance of the outside was accompanied by late winter’s chill, frost layering the newly sprouted flowers that lined the pathways and streets. albedo’s footfalls were in tandem with her own, a gentle click against the cobblestone. she had half the mind to make conversation, but another part of her decided against it, quite alright with the strange silence they had weaved above their heads.
monstadt was dark at this time of night, patrons littering the streets in patchy spots as noise filtered from the taverns. busy, yet almost calming at the same time. perhaps this was what she came to love the most.
she looked up at albedo when he cleared his throat, watching as bent over to pick up a sweet flower before meeting her gaze.
“do you know what you will tell her when you leave?” he asked, and she started at the sudden question. he clicked his tongue, twirling the flower in his hand. “you’re only here temporarily, correct?”
he pursed his lips at her silence, snapping the sweet flower’s stem. “you plan on leaving soon, don’t you?”
her brows furrowed together, and she gripped the front of her coat. “i’ve already been in monstadt for a year, albedo. even if i wanted to stay, i have my duties at home.”
his shoulders rose as he breathed, exhaling once as his eyes fluttered shut, platinum blond dusting pale cheeks as the yellow flower wilted to the ground. she watched as he looked at the ground, swallowing the lump in her throat when sparkling cerulean met her gaze. “but it would be ill of you to just leave without telling her." a pause. “and you are avoiding my question,” he quipped, crossing his arms.
she huffed, mimicking his composure as she glared at him. “you know i do it with her in mind, albedo! if i told her i was leaving, she’d be depressed beyond your comprehension.” she shook her head, scoffing. “i have already seen the look on her face. it is not a pretty one.” mona rolled her neck, pale green meeting sky blue. “so, understand my willingness to leave without a goodbye.”
“that is besides the point, mona,” he spat, and she recoiled. “klee is too used to people just up and leaving. her mother did it, her father too, and now look at yourself,” his eyes narrowed as he looked her over, “you’re doing the same exact thing.”
mona sputtered. “now, albedo --”
“there is no ‘now,’ mona. you can’t just leave,” he said again, closing his eyes again as his shoulders rose and fell. when he looked at her again, he was much calmer, ocean blue twinkling under the white starlight. “at least stay for her birthday,” he told her, and mona jutted out her hip.
“her birthday isn’t for another four months,” she replied. “then what do you expect me to do? stay back for mine as well?”
her eyes widened yet again when he nodded sharply, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “and then you will stay for sucrose’s, and then for mine, and then for the ludi harpastum, and all over again,” he muttered, and she bit her lower lip at how serious he sounded, his tone holding no room for argument as he fixed his crystallized gaze on her own. “but you cannot just leave. not yet.”
this was unfair, she grumbled, wrapping her arms around herself. she didn’t want to leave klee… that would be horribly rude and uncalled for. she didn’t want to leave albedo either… she had found a place here in monstadt despite her earlier claims not to. she had formed attachments and relationships she didn’t think she was willing to let go of, her brows creasing together as she thought.
a sigh as albedo took her wrist in his hand, tapping her hand once before letting it fall.
“think about staying… just for a little while,” he muttered, and mona nodded sharply. “for her sake and mine, it would be greatly appreciated.”
he turned then, walking beside her under the cover of the night, the moon and the stars the only ones bearing witness to their affairs.
+1.
she didn’t leave.
spring came and went, followed by summer and dismissed by autumn. a part of her knew she had been in monstadt for too long, but she couldn’t bring herself to return to her master, the diary locked away in the precious box klee’s mother gave her daughter so many years ago.
the evening found herself in albedo’s kitchen, clothed head to toe in a thick sweater and pants klee deemed appropriate for the weather. she didn’t want to relive the conversation, shaking her head at the mere idea of it (aren’t you too cold in that, miss mona? that’s okay, albedo and i will get you something anyway).
klee stood on a stool next to her, head propped in her hands as she observed the process of chopping apples. “are you really making a satisfying salad for dinner?” the child asked dryly, and mona pretended to flick her forehead.
“i’ll have you know my satisfying salads are the best ones in all of teyvat,” she said, smiling as she pushed the sliced apples aside. klee helped her remove the shells from the hardboiled eggs, dropping them more times than she’d like to admit. and yet they managed to make the prettiest salad mona has ever made, using leftover apples to make some star shapes to decorate the plate with.
klee, the little rascal, squealed, rubbing her stomach as she hopped off her stool. “oh, albedo’s gonna love it, mona!” she exclaimed, and the astrologist nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
she pushed his bedroom door open with her hip, rolling her eyes as klee barrelled past her, nearly dropping the glass of water she was carrying. albedo sighed at the sight of her, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he stood from his desk. “and do tell me what i have done to earn your audience?” he asked, raising a sandy eyebrow at the two of them.
“you worked hard,” mona replied, shaking the platter she held. “you also haven’t eaten for the past four hours. if i was in your shoes, you would’ve scolded me before hour two.”
he scoffed, swiping at his brow but he didn’t complain, clicking his tongue as he gestured for them to come closer. “so what is it that you made, then?”
mona placed the plate on his desk, tapping the rim. “my specialty salad. featuring fresh apple from the dawn winery, sliced and shaped by our one and only klee. plus the eggs you can only get from springvale.”
albedo hummed, dropping into his seat as he accepted the half empty glass from klee. mona smirked as he took a bite, relishing in the dry look he gave her. “it taste just like every other salad you could get from good hunter,” he replied, taking another forkful of greens.
she shrugged, leaning on the desk as she watched klee rustle around albedo’s books. “i never said it wouldn’t taste any different. the only big change is the apple shapes.”
he snorted, shaking his head. “you might be right,” he said, glancing at her as he brought one of the apple stars to his lips. his eyes fell shut as he rested his cheek in his palm. “klee did a wonderful job.”
mona smiled, sighing as klee brought her a brush and book. “can you do my hair now, mona?”
she didn’t need to look at albedo to know he was smiling too, the picture of his bright expression ingrained into her mind. and so she nodded, pulling klee over to the couch and fixing her in between her legs, taking her brush from her small hands and undoing her twintails.
she wouldn’t mind staying for a little while longer. just a little while more.
fin