Chapter Text
Finally, Diona aged fifteen years and still as unhappy as she was three years ago. The light of a candle sitting on a cupcake flickered waiting for her to blow it out, she just stared watching the wax drip down on the bright pink icing that was covered in blue and red sprinkles. It was a gift from Margaret and if she was honest she hated the fact that she got a cupcake from her boss rather than her own father who is out drinking tonight on her fifteenth birthday, she couldn’t blame him though while Diona got over her mother’s death years ago her dad’s scars were still fresh nine years later. It was dumb in her own mind, why bury the memory of the woman he loved so much? So stupid.
Diona let out a sigh before finally blowing the candle out, and standing up leaving the smoking candle and cupcake on the table. She still had work and didn’t want to spend the night alone wallowing in her own memory of all the birthdays much like this one, nights spent alone while her daddy pretty much celebrated without her. She grabbed a coat and a key in case her dad forgot his and she needed to drag him home. Diona walked out of the house noticing the man who asked that she’d call him grandpa, she never did, rather calling him by his name, Olaf. He smiled at her as she finished locking the door.
“Happy birthday, granddaughter.” She gave a nod and a smile at him, but as she turned away and walked off, her face dropped into a frown. Why did he remember her birthday and wish her a happy one while her dad didn’t bother to see her at all today? I can’t keep whining about him, this isn’t new. She shook her head and put her coat over her shoulders not actually slipping her arms into the sleeves.
The walk to The Cat’s Tail was mostly quiet, other than the occasional snort from a boar, or a particularly loud hoot of an owl. It was a nice experience before having to shove yourself into a building full of drunken bastards playing card games. She walked past the gates then past Katheryn, and up the stairs to be greeted by a cat sitting on the rail next to the door. Diona smiled at her, it was Princess, the stray brought here a year ago. She was Diona’s favourite because she was a calico much like herself. “Hello, princess.” She scratched the cat's head to her chin. “It’s my birthday.” She said earning a meow from Princess, Diona giggled out a “Thank you.” Acting as if the meow was a birthday wish, she kind of hoped it was.
As she opened the door to the tavern a bunch of people started shouting in excitement. She heard happy birthdays, she’s here and just yells, she grimaced at the shouting as she walked behind the bar sliding off her coat and placing it on the ground. Most of the people here were already wasted but still wanted a drink from her because her drinks tasted heavenly, three years later and she still wants her drinks to taste like hell on the tongue. She wasn’t mad about all her attempts not working anymore, only disappointed.
After twenty minutes or so, a man she didn’t recognize, which was shocking, walked up to the bar sitting in front of her. He had a sly smile on his face, clearly drunk. Diona was used to this by now, just another day at The Cat’s Tail. “What do you want, sir?” She asked, mixing a different drink for another different drunk man who was waiting idly. “Nothin, just think you’re a pretty kitty.” He slurred leaning his elbow on the bar top.
She cringed hearing pretty kitty, of course the nickname wasn’t new but it didn’t matter because the way it rolled off his tongue made her particularly uncomfortable, that made her decide to ignore the unknown man. She mumbled a quiet “Here” to the drunken patron who walked off happily with his drink,
“What? not gonna thank me for complimenting you?” Diona glared, he had a mustache and beard like her dad except it was scruffy and unkempt, and had what she guessed was cheese entangled in the hairs. She hated how he looked, he looked worse than all the other men that called her kitty, an ugly man with ugly intentions. “At least say something.” Diona let out a huff turning to him, her arms crossed over each other she had a scowling look on her face. “What?” She asked.
“How about you meow for me hm?” He grinned at her, he looked worse when he grinned and it made her blood boil probably why he’s even hitting on her can’t get women his own age because he’s so damn ugly. “No.” She said turning and walking away, silently looking around for Margaret or prince’s translator but to her dismay they weren’t here or out of her sight so she couldn’t silently call them over to take care of the guy.
When she turned back to the front of the tavern the guy was once again in front of her giving her a startle. “Please?” He wasn’t giving up on her meowing, she didn’t want to and it was a clear no. “Pleasee.” He begged, dragging out the word and looking at her like a child would to a parent, except he just looked scary. He was acting like a child and this is coming from a child.
Diona felt really uncomfortable and she had nowhere to go, she was stuck behind this bar and she hated it, she didn’t want to feel this on her birthday. “Leave me alone.” She said, walking away from him and to a different man who she assumed wanted a drink, she knew that he wouldn’t stop but for now she can just do this.
She started speaking with him about his order, talking proudly about how she would destroy his enjoyment of alcohol earning a laugh from the guy to her disappointment. Her dream of destroying the wine industry had subsided since she was twelve, yet she still did her whole speech about making people hate alcohol every time she mixed and served people.
She hated alcohol so much but the noise of shaking it was music to her ears and she hated it, the clanging of ice in liquid that caused people to act stupid made her so happy. As she mixed the man's drink he stared at her, eyeing her shaker and her expression, he smiled happily and looked so stupid, so giddy for something that wasn’t even that good. Diona looked away from him and to the other tables in the tavern, the floor shined telling her she needed to mop after, these men were so gross, she understood they were drunk out of their minds, but they could’ve at least learned not to knock shit down.
She couldn’t believe she was more mature than most of these men even when they were sober, a sigh left her lips as she turned back to the guy. With swift movements she poured his drink into a glass and slid it to him. “This one will be the one I-“ a tug on her tail caused her to jump and turn toward the same man from before, he was leaning over the bar reaching for her tail. Diona held her tail in her hands, a scared look on her face. She hated her tail getting touched let alone pulled. “What is wrong with you?!” Her shout sounded like a scared child, which she was.
Diona was still just a child, she couldn’t defend herself even with a vision at her hip. This man could overpower her easily, his grin made it so clear that’s what he wanted to do, he wanted to hold her down and—
Diona’s eyes filled with tears and that only made the man’s grin deepen, he found some disgusting pleasure in her fear, sadness and childlike features. “You’re so cute.” He chuckled, sitting back and watching her. Diona still held her tail tightly looking back at him. I want my daddy to protect me.
To her, it was only her and this man, she didn’t want it to be. She was silently hoping for someone to save her, to tell this man to screw off and leave her alone but it wouldn’t happen. The tavern was still loud and active with no one watching this interaction happen, no one noticed her tears, not even the man she just served. No one cared. The man was saying words to her and she couldn’t make them out, right now all of them were muffled, the words she could make out were kitten or some variant.
As tears trailed down her cheeks she walked out from behind the bar, her steps shaky. She didn’t know what she was doing. All she knew is that she at fifteen didn’t want to be here.
She shoved the door open and as the cold air grazed over her warm cheeks, it made her intention clear; she didn’t want to work here anymore.
The Cat’s tail has brought her nothing so far, she hasn’t found happiness, she didn’t get close to her dream, and she didn’t get protection Margaret promised. The only thing that brought her even a sliver of happiness was genius invocation and the cats, but even then she could never consider that a win, it was mostly misery. None of this was good, why did Margaret even hire her? What did her being there ever give Margaret? It was probably dirty money, the money from men who wanted Diona, and she didn’t believe Margaret was at all sorry for what she’s doing. Well she’d at least be sorry when she loses money, and Diona wouldn't be sorry for her.
Diona wandered around the city looking for Margaret, and she couldn’t find her. Of course she isn’t here…when is she ever? As Diona walked around she looked behind her every so often. She felt so helpless, why? She could shoot a person in the head if she wanted to, and she has faster reflexes than anyone, so why was she so scared? This birthday is so horrible.
While lost in thought she bumped into someone, knocking her back onto her butt. Looking up at the person, recognizing her immediately. It was Margaret, her blond hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and she looked messy. “Diona? What are you doing out here?” She asked as she pulled up the young girl, she sounded slightly angry and surprised. “Why aren’t you at the tavern?” She didn’t seem to care as to why she looked as if she was crying, why she bumped into her, why she didn’t just walk up to her.
“Answer me.” Margaret asked, placing her hands firmly on the girl's shoulders, Diona didn’t answer, just looked down at Margarets light red apron. She found it weird after all these years this woman kept her same stained ugly apron, she didn’t suit the apron. “I’m asking you a question, Diona.” Diona kept her mouth shut, she tried to gain the confidence to tell Margaret that she didn’t want to work at her tavern anymore. “I..”
Just do it, Diona.
She looked up at her, and sucked in a deep breath.
“I quit.”
“You can’t do that.” Margaret said, letting out a laugh slight. “I’m a child, I shouldn’t have been working there in the first place.” Diona argued, and she was right, she should’ve had a childhood, she should’ve run around with other kids with a happy grin and not working in a tavern looking miserable and angry. “Well, you took the job, and you enjoyed it.” The woman crossed her arms. Diona finally looked at Margaret, her expression now a mixture of anger and confusion. Margaret didn’t understand how miserable the job was, of course she didn’t, actually, she wasn’t watching Diona like she had promised she disappeared at night when Diona really needed her there. “Enjoyed it?”
Diona pinched the bridge of her nose shaking her head. “How could I ever enjoy getting harassed at night by men twice my age, or getting ridiculed for my failed attempts? This job wasn’t enjoyable. It wasn’t ever enjoyable!” She exclaimed. “Margaret, tonight, I got hit on by a forty something guy who pulled my tail! And asked me to meow for him, I want you to guess how long that’s been going on.”
Margaret just stared, she took a second before giving an answer. “A few months.” She said, putting a hand on her hip with a proud expression acting like even a few months was okay for a kid to endure sexual harassment. Diona let out a huff, she couldn’t believe it, this woman was stupid. “No, it's been going on for years!” She shouted. “I’ve told you this plenty of times but what did you do?! You did nothing!”
Diona hated that this is how her birthday would end. She was shouting in the middle of Mondstadt City at her boss and it was horrible. She was cold and miserable and tired and angry. She didn’t like this and Margaret just stared at the young girl shocked as if she shouldn’t have expected this, when she should’ve. If she put a cat girl in a cat themed tavern with men she knew pretty much since her normal and safe childhood, she should’ve figured Diona would get fed up and yell at her at some point.
“You didn’t at all care, you just told me they were being kind, that I was being dramatic and that no one was pulling my tail or touching my ears or touching me at all!” What was Diona even expecting Margaret to say after she was done yelling? An apology? Like that would fix 5 years of trauma, it wouldn’t, nothing would. Diona let out a deep sigh, her eyes looked like a waterfall of sorrow and anger filled tears running fast. “I’m going home, don’t expect me to be at the tavern tomorrow.”
She walked back to the tavern to gather the stuff she left there. She didn’t look back at Marget but she could imagine the face she was making, one of shock and slight panic because her top mixologist quit on the spot.
She didn’t bother greeting anyone as she got there, but she can imagine the confusion as she left with her coat over her arm. She felt sorry for the cats as she walked back to springvale, they had to be left with Margaret. Princess hurt the most, she couldn’t take her home because technically she belonged to the Tavern and she didn’t want to be a thief, plus not like her fathers house would be a good option for a cat, it’s hardly a good option for Diona. She’d visit though, she could do that.
She arrived home, Olaf no longer standing outside. He probably left to drink also, but what does she care? She just wanted to sleep after this horrible night. After unlocking the door and dropping the key next to the cupcake from before she walked to her dads room, the bed looked as if it hadn't been touched since the last time she made it. “Figured, not like he passes out on his bed.” She mumbled, slipping her jacket off and sliding under the cold covers. It smelt like her dad and she wanted him right now to tell her that she did the right thing.
“I did the right thing, didn’t I dad?”