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“Yahoo! Mona! Is that you?”
Mona almost dropped her watering can into a pot of flowers upon hearing the voice. Cursing under her breath, Mona set down the watering can, choosing instead to use her hydro abilities to water the rest of the plants.
“Hi Alice,” Mona reluctantly greeted, mentally unprepared for her antics.
“Mind if I stop by a bit? I was just visiting with Klee and Albedo. I would love to talk to you,” Alice requested, walking up the stairs and inviting herself in.
Protesting was futile from Mona, so in defeat she closed the door after following Alice inside.
Alice visiting Mona’s apartment unprompted brought Mona to a near breakdown, as she was too embarrassed to even continue walking forward. Normally when Mona had guests over, she tidied her place enough so that walking and sitting down were not a hassle. Her usual guests involved Fischl, who had even more of a mess than Mona’s space, or Albedo, who never made Mona feel burdened for her bad habits.
However, Mona’s tornado of productivity brought about a messy apartment, and Mona mentally berated herself for lacking basic discipline.
“My dear, don’t stress really. This is exactly what your master’s workspace used to look like when I would surprise her with a quick visit,” Alice laughed, ignoring the half filled glasses of various wines and juices throughout the apartment space. “I still remember one time finding her dirty laundry making its way onto her bookshelves. I guess the apple doesn't fall from the tree when it comes to a master and her pupil.”
Mona smiled, praying that her relentless pride would be the perfect glue to hold herself together.
“Alice, what brings you by? Were Albedo and Klee happy to see you?” Mona asked, only to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her from nervously talking any more than necessary.
Letting her anxiety get the better of her, Mona proceeded to stack various books, not paying attention to their subject matter. Most of her collection consisted of expensive astrology books, but she was certain a few fantasy books were mixed in her collection. All gifts from her few friends. She could already sense that the rapid organization would result in future disaster, as she would no longer know where anything she needed was placed.
“They’re doing just as well as I expected,” Alice gleefully responded. “Klee is such a lovely child, really. If not for the lifestyle I have chosen, I would give the world to stay home all day raising her myself. It’s so therapeutic to see her thrive and enjoy all of the gifts of childhood. So innocent and lively.”
Alice paused, looking at Mona as she continued to keep her hands busy. “I’m sure you know Albedo is doing good. Perfect as ever.”
Mona felt her cheeks flush. “Yeah, we still check in every once in a while.”
“Good, good,” Alice folded her hands together and smiled as wide as she could. “How’s Fischl? Is everything alright with her family too?”
“It’s getting better.” Mona found herself able to speak in her normal tone of voice again. “Her parents still call her by her birth name, but it does not seem to bother Fischl as much as it used to.”
“Fischl’s creativity is truly inspiring. I adore her antics and I do enjoy speaking with Oz as well. Such a polite fellow.” Alice engaged more with the conversation. “One of these days I need to recruit her for a potential play I want to do. Maybe a grand theater production for all of Mondstadt. Maybe Fischl as a lead, Venti for music, Barbara for vocals, that one outlander needs to be a part of it too…”
“Alice.” Mona interrupted the ramble with a deadpan face.
“Mona, Mona. So prideful and serious! You need to hang out with Klee more. She will definitely loosen up some of your strings,” Alice rapidly spoke as she picked up Mona’s hands.
Mona stood awkwardly still, allowing for the older woman to firmly grab her hands. Physical touch was not something Mona was used to, being that her ideal social interactions just involved engaging conversations about interesting topics with those Mona admired. With Alice, it means a day of Mona being poked, hugged, and grabbed. Surprisingly, Mona found that interactions with Alice and Klee had that in common.
Alice sighed as she looked at Mona. The pity in Alice’s face was almost dehumanizing.
“You’re so preoccupied with your master’s wishes, aren’t you? Seeking the truth of the world is a long journey, I do agree, but take it easy now and then,” Alice said with a gentle, assuring voice only a mother could have, and Mona felt a foreign sting in her chest.
In a life that was dedicated to seeking truth, the journey was lonely and troublesome. There were few friends Mona had in her life, and she could not recall the names of her own mother and father. Many days and nights were spent losing track of time and numbers. Nine days passing by might as well be just a productive evening for the astrologist. Mona often found it easiest to simply sit on Starsnatch Cliff, somberly admiring the stars away from the pleasant life awaiting back in Mondstadt.
She knew so many people’s stories, the ways they would love and live and die. She knew about the tragedies that trailed behind many in the shadows, and the achievements that awaited people at each new dawn.
There was validation in finding people who understood the difficult trials of Mona’s journey.
“Why are you really here, Alice?” Mona calmly asked, focusing on Alice’s red eyes to distract from her wandering mind.
“When talking to Albedo, I remembered a few things about my life a long time ago. So, I told him and Klee I was going to grab you for an idea I had,” Alice enthusiastically replied, freeing Mona’s hands to look into her bag. “Excuse me for a second.” Alice began taking out random items from her bag.
Mona’s coffee table was already in shambles, littered with crumpled up papers from unsatisfactory drafts and a few tissues from when Mona had been drowned in allergies a few days prior.
However, Alice couldn’t care less for Mona’s clutter, as Alice set down large tools and trinkets to make her bag search easier. Mona kept quiet as strange rocks, dried plants, and books with burnt pages were stacked on top of her own belongings. The items kept becoming more randomized and bizarre, seeing that a collection of slime and a Genius Invokation TCG container were set down in the pile.
Alice even had the nerve to set down a few jars containing foreign insects, and Mona was greeted with a haunting visual of the bugs destroying Mondstadt’s ecosystem.
“Ah, there!” Alice exclaimed, and Mona felt a weight finally left from her chest.
Mona peered over, seeing Alice fondly look at a drawing of three women. The three women appeared to be around Mona’s age, and were most likely mages.
“Don’t we look beautiful here? We really were in our prime.” Alice bathed in the wave of nostalgia. “Tell me, Miss Mona Megistus. Do you know who these women are?”
The first person that stood out was the unsmiling woman in the middle. She had ice blonde hair, piercing blue eyes with a familiar hue, and a navy blue that matched the night sky painted on small sections of her face. The woman on the left most side of the painting was standing there confident with a closed mouth smile. The face was one Mona could never forget. Finally, the third woman was hugging the two other women with a smile wide enough to elevate the entire drawing. Her elf ears were too trademark to ignore.
The painting style oddly reminded Mona of Albedo’s style, though the edges were roughed and the colors blended more fluidly.
“The women in the painting are Rhinedottir, Barbeloth, and you?” Mona guessed with slight uncertainty.
“My, my, Mona. As intelligent as ever,” Alice praised. “Rhinedottir drew this for me centuries ago. She said making a painting of our trio would be the greatest way to honor our friendship.”
Mona noticed how soft Alice’s eyes were as she talked about her old friend.
“When Rhinedottir gave me this piece, she tried to brush it off like it was just a small favor. She claimed that I should not think of it too much. Little did she know, I would still cherish it to this day. I believe your master has a similar copy of this artwork.”
Alice paused, giving Mona the painting to observe herself.
“She’s a bit less personal though, you know her.” Alice winked. “So maybe she never showed you for that very reason. Nevertheless, look at how charming we all are.”
Charming was just the very word Mona was going to use to describe the painting. Mona loved how natural the three of them looked together, and how Rhinedottir’s composition exaggerated the right aspects of the trio’s personalities.
Barbeloth’s pride and passion.
Rhinedottir’s quiet and reclusive nature.
Alice’s energetic and free spirit.
“How funny that the Alchemist Gold also enjoyed art as a hobby,” Mona commented.
She wondered if Albedo knew that Rhinedottir had the same interests as him. Mona could not free her mind from picturing Albedo sitting alongside his creator as the two of them painted together, exchanging ideas and giving each other insightful advice.
An odd sense of longing overcame Mona, picturing a life where she and her master were still side by side. Mona wished for her to first see this picture with her master, as instead her master would fondly recall the times of her youth. Maybe the stories could humanize her master more. If she did not fear her master and her strict teachings as much, there would perhaps be a chance for them to reconcile and continue to learn from one another.
Mona knew why she avoided Alice whenever Albedo mentions her visiting. Mona was a person of logic, reason, and truth. Feelings and emotions were natural, but all they did was interfere with her work as an Astrologist. Her master had emphasized the importance of separating oneself from the rest of the world in order to best perform the craft of Hydromancy.
Alice reminds Mona of the things in life she was missing.
A quest for truth was a lonely, and bittersweet one.
“What’s going on in the unpredictable mind of the genius Mona Megistus?” Alice interrupted Mona’s thoughts.
“Nothing relevant,” Mona attempted to say as an excuse. “Thank you for showing me this, really, it’s beautiful. Does this have to do with the idea you have?”
“Yes!” Alice clapped. “You are gonna recreate this photo for me with Albedo and Klee. Does that sound fun?”
Mona’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t act like I just gave you a death sentence, come on, dear. I’ll leave you alone afterwards,” Alice pleaded, gesturing for Mona to come follow her out the door.
“Alice, what about your belongings?” Mona turned back to look at the chaotic collection lying in the center of her apartment.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t let them overstay their welcome. Come on now, my child,” Alice called out, lightly picking up Mona’s wrist to drag her out the door.
“Can I at least lock my apartment?” Mona panicked, looking behind at her soaked water pots on the front steps.
“Don’t worry, I put a seal on the door that won’t let strangers in,” Alice reassured, hastily motioning for Mona to keep walking. Mona felt a pair of hands push her back lightly to urge her to walk.
“Sorry for the hurry, dear,” Alice continued. “I’m a busy woman, but I’m also very determined to recreate this photo. Then one day when I finally see that criminal alchemist again in the midst of her near insane experiments, I will be able to get her to smile for me. Just for once.”
Mona refused to process anything Alice said any further than she needed to.
“All for a smile?” Mona accidentally said out loud.
“You would do the same, don’t single me out,” Alice teased, and Mona felt her ears ring in shame.
The sound of heels walking on pavement should have been enough to distract Mona’s mind, but Alice kept talking about how cute the photo was going to be. Mona made sure to immediately turn down the ideas of matching outfits or doing any more photos than necessary.
Alice barged into the Knights of Favonius Headquarters like she was the one in charge, and Mona allowed for her hat to hide her face from Jean and Lisa standing in the main entryway.
“Have fun on your date, you two.” Alice waved, walking by the two other women.
Lisa blew a kiss, and Jean said something about their outing not being a date.
“Ah, young love,” Alice chimed. “Makes me miss the days of simple dates and playful flirting.”
Mona crossed her arms, and for a moment she considered reaching out to the gods for divine intervention. Yet any type of divine presence was gone the moment Alice was involved, considering her true neutral stances on every piece of history in Teyvat.
“Klee,” Alice sang out with a natural vibrato while knocking on her daughter’s door. “Klee, my love.”
“Mama!” Klee opened the door and jumped into Alice’s arms. Alice allowed for the momentum of Klee’s jump to spin them both around, Alice tenderly holding Klee close as they both giggled in the embrace.
Mona kept her distance, watching as Alice and Klee lived in their own world.
“You’re back! Big brother Albedo told me you would be back, and I believed him,” Klee said as she hugged Alice. Alice held Klee up at her waist, and Mona observed the shared physical traits Klee and Alice both had.
Similar smiles, same jaw structure, and matching elf ears.
“I brought Mona along for part two of our playdate, does that sound fun?” Alice smiled at her child.
“Yay! Big playdate!” Klee cheered, swinging her feet in the air with joy.
“I won’t stay for too long though,” Mona said, standing away for her own sake.
Mona heard footsteps, and the weight of each step was all too familiar.
“What a shame. I was going to offer for you to stay for dinner.”
Albedo walked down the stairs from the second floor. His typical white uniform coat had been retired, most likely in his room or his lab, and he was only in his navy blue shirt. Today, Albedo did not have his braids holding his hair back but rather a simple ponytail, which Mona found odd considering that Albedo only put his hair in a ponytail if he was overwhelmed.
Mona felt comforted that Albedo was also drained from Alice’s chaos.
“Ah, Albedo. Great to have you here on time,” Alice greeted, pushing Albedo’s hair out of his face. “No need to be stressed. It’s just me.”
“That’s exactly why I’m stressed,” Albedo sighed, and Mona was entertained that Albedo let Alice freely mess with his hair.
“How hilarious, Mr. Chief Alchemist,” Alice laughed, pushing her hands onto Albedo’s cheeks to squish his face. “Let’s get you on a stage one day and give you a comedy show. You don’t even need a script, I will just let you talk.”
Alice released Albedo’s face, and Albedo brought his own hand up to rub gently at where Alice was grabbing him.
“Before you ask, Mona,” Albedo began as he walked next to her, fixing the collar of his shirt, “I’m doing great.”
Mona felt herself about to argue with Albedo’s words, but then Klee ran up and grabbed her hand.
“Mama wants a picture, let’s go,” Klee said with a voice loud enough for all the knights to hear. Not being able to resist the hand of a small child, Mona allowed for Klee to lead her outside.
Klee continued to drag Mona out to the front entrance of the Knight’s Headquarters, Alice found a ledge for the future models to sit on.
“Albedo, you know more about lighting and posing than me,” Alice called out, only to see that Albedo was still closing the door to the Knights’ headquarters. “Hurry up, not everyone here is immortal.”
“This spot should be fine since we are working on a tight schedule, allegedly,” Albedo said as he finally joined the rest of the group. “If the lighting isn’t to your liking, we can retake it in a different spot. Though sunset is soon, we should take advantage of that opportunity.”
Mona sat quietly on the concrete fence with Klee in her lap. Taking photos was not her favorite thing, recounting the times when the Steambird made her pose for a “Meet the Author” article. She never liked how she looked in photos, and she always preferred if people admired her work without dwelling on her physical appearance.
“Or you can paint a better version for me?” Alice hinted, nudging Albedo’s arm.
“You know my commission rates,” Albedo unapologetically replied, going over to sit next to Mona.
“You are just like her, really,” Alice said to Albedo as she brought out her camera from her endless void of a bag.
Mona winced at the idea that the camera was sitting next to gross crawling creatures and questionable solutions.
“I’m my own person, Alice,” Albedo said, picking up Klee from Mona’s lap to help adjust them better on the small wall ledge. “What order do we sit in?”
“Hmm.” Alice quickly made her way over to the trio sitting, moving Klee once again to sit on the right hand side of Albedo.
Alice proceeded to fix up Klee’s hair with a random comb that made Mona even more worried about the bag the adventurer carried around with her. Klee was always a lot more well behaved with Alice around, as Albedo or Jean did not have to chase her around before she blew something up.
Moving on to Albedo, she combed out his bangs to flow and shape his face in a way that suited him well. Albedo obediently remained still, being that he was more easy going about the photo idea. If asked nicely enough, Albedo would do anything for someone if he had the time to spare.
“Albedo, do you want the ponytail or should we do your signature braids?” Alice asked as she played around with Albedo’s hair.
“Sunset is soon; keep it as it is” Albedo responded.
“Right, right. You look handsome either way,” Alice complimented, only to be met with no response from Albedo.
As Alice moved onto Mona, the older elf took a moment to pause.
“Mona, what a beautiful lady you are,” Alice praised as she fixed the positions of Mona’s pigtails. “You have such marvelous eyes, and your complexion is one to die for. I am surprised I don’t hear more about suitors from across the nations attempting to court you. Though, you are definitely the heartbreaker. I know it.”
Albedo shifted awkwardly next to her, and Mona could only handle so much humiliation at once.
“Thank you.” Mona struggled to say above a whisper, feeling ashamed and worn out.
“So proud of yourself, yet unable to handle compliments,” Alice remarked as she continued to adjust the three bodies to her liking. “Learn to balance humility and confidence, dear. You too, Albedo. It’s a great life skill.”
After playing around with the trio like they were dolls, Alice got Klee to hug mostly Albedo, and Mona was forced to lean in to Albedo to compensate for Klee’s small, child arms.
“Look like you love each other! You’re a family, after all,” Alice yelled out as she ran over to her camera, and Mona wanted herself out of the situation badly.
“Mona,” Albedo quietly said, just enough for only the two of them. “It’s just us. We will be okay.”
Letting go of her high strung ego, Mona relaxed and found it easy to smile for the photo. Albedo remained as the pillar between the two, and Klee kept laughing as she continued to hold onto her brother.
Alice paused, glancing over at the trio in front of her with a sense of yearning not before seen.
Mona briefly saw a glimpse into Alice’s past. One where she begged Rhinedottir to share about her latest alchemy ideas. She even witnessed a small moment of Rhinedottir drawing what looked to be a rifthound, the large monster emerging from the page and making Alice scream as she used her pyro abilities to sedate the creation. Rhinedottir apologized, saying her prototype was still something to be tested.
“The quest for knowledge you seek is quite admirable, Miss Gold.”
“Everyone else has shunned me, saying I’m nothing but a sinner. Alice, do you see me as a sinner?”
Alice only laughed in response. Her laugh had never changed across the centuries.
“If you are sinner, then that makes me the devil. That’s why we work so well together, Rhine.”
The next moment, Mona saw her master in front of a pool of water.
Barbeloth looked younger, and something about her presence only made Mona feel as if she were glancing into her reflection on the lake. Alice and Rhinedottir soon joined her, standing together in a room that, based on the architecture, appeared to be in Khaenri’ah.
“There are worlds beyond ours. Alice, you know the truth to this, don’t you?”
“The truth is dangerous. The more I tell you, the more I risk losing both of you.”
Mona felt as if she were physically falling backwards, only for a stable embrace to catch her.
Everything happened in an instant; only a second of time was used for Mona to see all that she witnessed, yet reality caught back up to her in a quick flash.
The picture was quick, and Mona saw a tear fall from Alice’s eye.
A rare vision of vulnerability from a loved one always tested Mona on how much she could handle.
Mona felt confused, stunned, and even shaken at the few pieces she saw of the past. Alice’s past was confusing to her, being that she could not read Alice in a continuous line but rather in sporadic intervals that were difficult to piece together.
Albedo hugged Klee tightly and kept an arm around Mona’s shoulder to ground her, and Alice allowed for her photo to print.
“Ah, how gorgeous,” Alice said, wiping a tear with the back of her hand. “You are all such beautiful children. So full of talent and potential. It makes me so proud to be your mother, guardian, and whatever Mona wants to consider me.”
The wind sang through Mondstadt as a gentle breeze, and the sun remained a warm blanket over the city as sunset finally hit. The red roofs around Monstadt City took on the oranges of the sunset pleasantly, and the air remained the same temperament.
Klee stood up, running over to Alice. “May I see the picture, Mama? Mama, please!”
Alice squatted down, showing a jumping Klee the photo as it finished processing. “See, Klee? This one is you, right there is your brother…oh, how wonderful he’s smiling!”
Albedo awkwardly laughed, nervously playing with the hair strands Alice styled for him.
Mona realized she was still resting against Albedo, and she immediately brought herself back up. Refusing to make any more eye contact with Albedo, the weight of her day started to get the best of her.
The sky’s previous oranges faded into hues of blue and violet.
“It’s getting late,” Mona spoke up. “Alice, will the seal you put on my door let me in if I take off without you?”
“It will, Mona,” Alice confirmed as she placed her camera into her overly concerning abyss of a bag. “I’ll stop by soon to pick up whatever items I left behind after I get Klee to bed.”
Mona was drained, and all she wanted was to get home and nap.
“Do you need me to walk you home?” Albedo politely asked, joining next to her side.
“I’m not in the mood for more talking, honestly,” Mona confessed. Other days, Mona would be thrilled to have Albedo walk her home, taking in every second to embrace time alone with Albedo. Today was not a day for that, as Alice had stolen all of Mona’s social battery.
“I’ll give you the space you want then, but I don’t want you going alone. We can have a silent walk if that’s an okay deal?” Albedo suggested, staying true to his word and keeping a fair distance between the two of them.
“Such a gentleman, Albedo,” Alice said, followed by a wolf whistle.
Mona rolled her eyes, and for a second Mona noticed a light tint of pink on Albedo’s cheeks.
“Quick second,” Albedo said to Mona as he walked over to Klee.
“Mama is tucking me into bed tonight.” Klee radiated a contiguous excitement.
“Yes, Alice is going to put you to bed tonight. I’m walking Mona home, so don’t stay up waiting for me? Promise?” Albedo squatted down as he held out his pinky.
Klee wrapped her pinky around Albedo’s finger. “I promise.”
Albedo and Klee hugged with their goodnights, and Albedo walked over to join Mona for their silent evening stroll. Albedo kept his promise, and Mona ignored how warm she felt because of Albedo’s understanding attitude. Mona and Albedo both knew they were true introverts, recharging best when they were left alone, yet Mona found it easier to come back to her senses whenever Albedo remained in her presence.
Mona knew Albedo wanted to ask her more about the vision she saw when they took the picture. He was just as naturally curious as her, both a gift and a vice depending on who was asked. He had to have sensed her getting lost in the sudden flashback, given he caught her in time for the picture. She did not want to know what she looked like, but as long as it made Alice happy, she could abide by that.
Albedo and Mona had plenty of time to come back to the conversation anyway.
The seal on the door let Mona in as Alice had said. Unfortunately, the seal worked too well, as Albedo was unable to make it past the second step towards Mona’s apartment.
“Good night, Mona,” Albedo waved, taking the hint to head back home himself.
“I said no talking,” Mona smirked.
“Maybe Alice should give you the comedy show,” Albedo said as he narrowed his eyes, looking suspiciously at Mona.
“And what did I say about the talking?” Mona placed a hand on her hip, keeping up with the lighthearted tone.
Albedo placed a hand over his mouth to keep himself from talking more than necessary, and he waved goodbye once more before walking back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. If not for Mona’s exhaustion, her messy living space, and Alice’s magic seal on the door, she would have invited Albedo over for an evening cup of tea.
Mona closed the door to her apartment, exhaling a deep breath that had been resting inside of her all day.
Sinking to her knees and letting her hands catch her head, Mona pondered the new set of endless questions Alice always left her.
-
The picture captured was similar to the one Alice had with Rhinedottir and Mona’s Master. Only this time Albedo was relaxing and smiling, and Mona was flustered and caught off guard. Klee looked the same as Alice, as they both had the same smile.
Alice bought a gold frame to keep the photograph in, and she pressed a Cecilia flower to go alongside a photo she could now cherish forever.