A summer constellation. That should have been enough to decipher the whole riddle. After all, there were finite constellations, right? That's what most novices thought. If that was the case, what was stopping her from trying every single constellation while thinking of the bard? The issue with the sky of Teyvat was that those constellations popped in and out due to the whims of the Gods. There were records of constellations that no longer existed, while other new constellations could very well take years to appear in the skies.

Brute forcing the answer wasn't working. Mona had spent three… or maybe four days trying to do so. She had rummaged through so many of her books that words stopped having any meaning.

When she suddenly realised that she had been staring at a book for the last five minutes, Mona closed the book. The moment she got up from the chair, her back cracked from not moving for hours. Then, her stomach grumbled. Not long after, her mouth felt dry. Her eyes were heavy.

Working at Angel's Share and continuing her pursuit of knowledge was draining her faster than it should. She drank whatever the cup in her desk had and stumbled over to her bed.

Ah, what glory! So comfortable! The soft pillow. The smooth bed sheets. The quickly warming mattress! How long had she yearned for this pleasure? Oh, how she hated those days without a bed next to her study! Her back immediately loosened up and her eyes completely shut. She'd sleep for a whole day!

And then someone scratched at her front door.

She ignored it.

They now knocked.

She forced herself to ignore it.

By the third scrape, Mona stomped off towards the window in her room, opened it, and was about to complain to the sudden guest. She stopped, however, when she saw nothing but a black, short-haired cat.

"You again…"

Forgiving the cat between mutters, Mona headed towards the main door of her house. She fixed her twintails while she looked at the mirror next to it. Rings under her eyes, messy hair and droopy shoulders. Yes, the mark of a nice and long research binge.

"I've looked worse."

She checked herself one last time before opening the door, being greeted by a low meow that she found oddly cute. The black cat seemed much healthier ever since it first came by. Its fur was well-kept, it no longer limped and seemed more docile. However, that wouldn't help it regrow its missing eye. Regardless, she was proud of being this cat's chosen one.

The cat rewarded her with nuzzles, especially between her legs. For some reason, however, it refused to be petted before being fed. A haughty cat!

"You're not so bad, are you? Just a little misunderstood wanderer. Even cute animals like you have a personality that…"

Hold up.

That gave her an idea.

She was looking at this Bard Constellation business from the wrong perspective.

Instead of learning top-dow… learning his constellation so she could read his fate, she could learn his fate to decipher what constellation he had. She needed more information. Interests, dislikes, patterns, Morals… Things a deep dive scry would answer. Retroductive reasoning was the opposite of what she was used to doing, but this case needed it. She could use all the information a constellation would give her to narrow down her options. Looking for summer, music-related constellation clearly wasn't cutting it.

The cat meowed again, rubbing his body against her legs.

"Oh, you're so cute today. You get extra for unlocking my potential!"

As she entered her home and rummaged through the kitchen, she wondered if Venti was right about her.

Perhaps she really did focus too much and missed obvious details. She was too reliant on her hydromancy. Without it, she followed her old, self-reliant method of studying. Sheer will and grinding the subject down until she learned it. Now she understood that it wasn't infallible. Then again, could she trust herself to not repeat that mistake? She needed a second opinion on this whole matter, to avoid gridlocking herself.

"I don't have any food." She muttered, looking at a bowl full of oats she was supposed to eat days ago. "Well, there aren't any fair prices until Saturday... I'll hold off."

She filled the oat bowl with water, mixed it well and offered it to the cat patiently waiting by the door frame.

"Here you go." She crouched next to the cat as it gave the oats a curious smell and started to eat. "Maybe I can give Venti some oats. I'll have him purring in no time and he'll tell me anything I want. Oh, right. Diluc gave me some wine. Maybe I could…" Just as she said his name, a gear turned on her head. "Oh gods, it's only Thursday?! Three days without eating?! And I have a shift this whole weekend so… Don't eat my food, cat!" As she shoved a handful of sticky oats into her mouth, she remembered something else. "Rgentfh!"

It was the end of the month. She had to pay rent too. She wasted the Steambird's paycheck on books to unravel Venti's constellation. Even if Diluc gave her enough to pay rent, she'd have to scavenge or leave Mondstadt to eat. Which meant less time to research and write. And it would take three weeks to even get another spot on the magazine!

Mona gulped down half the bowl of oats, which the cat didn't seem to mind. She then rushed to grab her hat, closed and locked the door, and walked through the Mondstadt streets with one goal in mind. Angel's Share.

Making the ten-minute walk in two minutes, she almost kicked down the door to find a surprised Charles. She asked for more shifts or longer hours, which Charles couldn't offer without Diluc's consent. He agreed to ask him, but couldn't make any promises besides that.

Empty-handed, she wandered through the streets aimlessly.

"Maybe I could find some Mora by the fountain again…"

She found herself near Mondstadt's main street when the tunes of a faraway song lured her towards a somewhat secluded triangular square.

"When the time of youth has ended
And the good old days are gone
All that nature has intended
Will assuredly transpire."

Calmly singing to the tune of his lyre, Venti had managed to gather a small crowd around him. He didn't seem to even notice the people around him. Mona guessed that he was singing for singing's sake. Any passerby enjoying the songs were simply unneeded byproducts. And so, she didn't even feel the need to hide her pointy hat.

"Who answers the heavenly call?
The trumpet's profound salutation?
For fate doesn't smile upon all
Just the fortunate find their elation."

That wasn't a complete lie. Mona's whole intent with Astrology was to fix up any unforeseen roadblocks in a person's fate. Bad things only happened when people were forced to move away from their fates, which she could properly find and fix. Like that, few people could just follow their fate without issues. Then again, it didn't seem like that was what Venti implied.

"And the center of the mystery
You never will get near it
It's a dark and narrow hallway
Leading straight down to the end."

Perhaps he was implying she'd never unravel the mystery of his constellation. Or maybe she was just reading too much into this song.

The lyre slowed down until he played the last note. He was washed by the claps of the crowd, which he kindly bowed to.

Mona had no reason to stick around. Neither had she a reason to not stay. Actually, she had one reason. Perhaps this could be used to learn more about him. The way he narrated, or how he acted. Then again, she was tired. And hungry. Maybe she'd be able to steal some Mora from his tips...

A kid approached Venti and asked him something. Mona was too far away to listen to the exchange, but the kid looked very happy while Venti politely smiled. He listened to a random kid, but not to her. Truly, the bard was a dastardly evil figure.

"Long time ago, in a distant, young spring, gleaming with green and sun, the youthful spirit wandered gently through the divine meadows of the sky. He said; I am a strange, cursed poet. One day, a sad autumn, it came back to me, disconsolate, weeping…"

It was by the second sentence that Mona zoned out. There was nothing wrong with his act or narration, she just couldn't keep focus. Fortunately, Venti's gloomy and melancholic expression managed to keep her eyes open. She couldn't tell why, but it felt more natural and less forced than usual. Because of that, she tried to focus again.

"…Those who have not descended at least once into the abyss of the darkest sorrow or amidst the delirium of the blackest despair…"

Again, Mona held back a yawn. This talk of abyss and darkness only reminded her of her own bed at night, cozy and warm… Ah, why did his expression turn so bitter? His usual cuddly and bouncy face didn't mix so well with those harsh frowns and serious eyes. An angry puppy, that's what he looked like.

Fischl would love this story. The vocabulary was right up her alley. The sooner she returned from her adventuring, the better. Having a drunk bard, a boring noble and an eyeless cat for company was thinning her sanity.

"…who loves, who craves, who desires; I am certain, they will never understand me."

What was this story about? He was just saying long strings of adjectives. Maybe she missed the plot. Sadly, Mona hadn't listened to anything he had said prior to the cursed word, desire.

The only thing Mona desired right now was sleep and food. How come the bard always looked way healthier than her? He didn't even have a home or… well, did anything. She was a bit jealous.

After what seemed like hours, but had been a few minutes, a soft breeze snapped her out of the stupor.

"…The demon then came to me." Mona suddenly regained focus, as if those few words were meant for her. "The demon told me about my most buried truths. A truth I could only obtain after facing that above. To slay that baleful wraith I was to see many rivers of blood, sweat and tears, so many mountains of corpses…! So many, and every single one of those corpses became a step for my journey. And then, I came to face Beast, who wept and cried as it took its own life. God, that Beast, was dead. And so was everyone who helped me. But me? What about me? I am alone! Alone and distant from anyone else. Now, I knew the truth and it was not worth it."

Why was this familiar?

This was similar to that whole narrative he made up a few days ago. It was a known tale, it seemed. Perhaps he told Mona that story back then because she didn't know the local folklore. Or, showing some goodwill, Venti found his story and that of this cursed poet to be similar. But this… Devil. In the previous version, it was Venti himself who took the quest to kill this Beast. Now, it seemed he had been somewhat tempted to do it.

Why was she believing that made-up tale? Wasn't this proof he lied? Why did she find it more believable now?

She was missing the story again.

"… I dance the dance of the fool and wish you find me mad. For if you lay hands upon the root, you'll know me without illusion. And find me guilty of the truth…"

The lack of sleep got her again. What was that referring to? Besides, she missed whatever truth the Devil revealed. It would be rude to ask now. She could ask him to backtrack and tell her the story from the beginning.

Maybe, in exchange, she could give him an actual useful lecture about astrology and the stars. It would wake her up, at least. And every time he learnt something, he'd have to praise her on his knees. That's what he should be doing instead of those fake compliments… And if he said those, he should kneel either way.

The clapping of the small crowd forced Mona out of her stupor. She was beginning to think weird things.

As Venti reluctantly accepted some Mora and gratitude, she decided to say something at the very least. It didn't look like he had noticed her, after all. So as the crowd retreated, only a few fans remained around.

The same kid as before, encouraged by his mother, gave him a few coins and asked him a question. She was a bit too far away to hear it, but close enough to see how Venti's expression froze for a moment. Then, Mona recognised that forced smile and measured words.

Did she read him? Did she finally catch him lying? Or… Well, the kid probably asked something outrageous. If she didn't know the question, knowing the faux reaction was worthless. At least, however, she had learnt something after those forceful encounters.

"Ah shit," Venti muttered before grinning and walking towards Mona. "Well hello there! If it isn't the great Astrologer herself!"

"Uh, yes. You know I heard that first part, right?"

"Totally. What are you doing in this neck of the woods?" Venti fidgeted in place, avoiding her eyes. "Did you like the story?"

"I only heard bits and pieces. And we agreed on a date or something like that. So, please feed me."

"I was under the impression you didn't beg for food."

"Not from people I like. I don't like you though, so it's fine." A proud-sounding answer, that really shouldn't have sounded like that. "So treat me to lunch, please."

"Right, yes. Issue, though. I don't have mo—" He glanced at the pouch in his hands and quickly hid it. "I'm very busy today. So, I gotta go!"

Venti ran away without any qualms, leaving the square behind in an instant.

Busy? That was a very obvious lie. Did he just avoid her? Actually, he didn't even appear on her last shift. Maybe she overdid it when she threw him to the ground. And tried to strip him. And steal from him.

Oh.

It was all Diluc's fault! His advice was clearly double-edged! She should have done that when she was out of options... She got too desperate and now he probably hated her!

Or! Or maybe he was just really sleepy?

It was still morning. A troubadour who loves alcohol, with a carefree and affable attitude... He probably slept late, or after sunrise. If that was the case, he may have wanted to sleep. Where though? Maybe a spot with sun yet enough shadow to cover his eyes. Perhaps… Hold on, she was doing it again. She was overfocusing on what she believed the problem to be. Maybe he didn't go to sleep. Then perhaps he was avoiding her. So he'd flee to where she'd never go.

His mind trapped in those thoughts, Mona ambled through the streets, avoiding the restaurants and any shop with nice, salivating smells. She had no idea where to go. Maybe she had ruined everything… she should apologise.

Fate, however, had another plan for her as she wandered into Mondstadt's cathedral square. On the edge beside a few trees, she found gold.

Laying on a bench as if he owned it, Venti seemed to be taking a nap in the middle of the day. The soft breeze of Mondstadt was gentle, and the sun above warm and weak. Mona guessed that a troubadour like him enjoyed every little time of rest he had to the fullest.

She walked over to the bench, her steps not alerting him in the slightest. Venti didn't notice her until her hat cast a shadow over his eyes.

"Booh." Mona whispered the moment he opened one of his eyes.

Venti rolled off the bench, hit his head against the pavement and stood up like nothing had happened. "Autsch!" He corrected his quick breaths in an instant, rubbing the back of his head. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"I'm sorry, are you okay? I didn't think you'd break your neck."

Mona tried to get closer, but Venti immediately backed off. "Uh, yeah, fine as I can be! Why are you following me? Are you, uh, angry or something?"

Not only was he avoiding her, but he was also really skittish. She really had screwed it.

"Why would I be angry?" She answered, placing her hands on her waist. "Listen, if you want me to apologise for what happened last time, I'll do it. I didn't mean to…"

"Nothing like that! It's not about you. I'm just dealing with bard stuff. I'm really busy, you see!"

Bard stuff? It didn't look like that to Mona. Venti was merely being nice to her, she knew it! Or maybe… That's right, could he have fallen completely in love? She could test that right now.

"Busy sleeping?" She flicked away her hair, shifting her weight. "You kept repeating that I would be regretting what we did that night. By the looks of it, you're the only one doing that." Her words prompted Venti to force out a laugh.

"Ah, well, you know… I'm… uh…" He snapped his fingers. "Amnesia!"

"What?"

"Amnesia."

"You can't just say amnesia."

Venti nodded enthusiastically. "I can! Totally forgot what happened."

"Venti, buddy, you referenced it like ten minutes ago. And ten seconds ago too." Mona stared at how Venti's soul left his body like an empty shell. "You're sloppy today. I'd say you're very embarrassed about being alone with me."

"Pfft, no way. I've lived through too much to be embarrassed! I mean…" He waved away her words, looking around everywhere but at her. "Fine. Let's have a truce for today, okay? I've run into some trouble, but nothing serious. Rather, I have to deal with a situation. So I call upon the mighty truce."

"A truce right when you're losing? Could that situation be that you cannot keep your mouth shut when I push your buttons?" Mona held back from smiling, just in case he really was upset.

Venti didn't seem upset at all. In fact, his stance became much less rigid and regained some confidence. "My, my! Are you sure you should be proud of that?"

"I'm not proud. But you were too cocky and ate dust, so you deserve it." She inspected Venti's smile and dropped her shoulders. "Don't try to say that it was all part of your great plan."

"All part of my great plan." He forced a magnanimous, high-class laugh. "So? Did my very kind and generous clue help you in any way?" Venti asked, cleaning the dust from his clothes.

"It might have, thank you." She mutedly said, realising that he had just done it again. He switched topics seamlessly!

"Good! So, about my date! You seem to forget that you're the one who owes me. So, you'd have to be the one paying! But we're in the same boat, so I won't do that. Instead, remember what I told you about Master Diluc and Master Jean?" The impish smile on Venti spelt trouble."

"That they like each other but won't admit it due to their positions?"

"Exactly. If there's one thing I hate, it's when people don't say their feelings and regret it years later. Since a bard like me is an ambassador of the language of the soul, I'm going to, let's say… Fabricate a situation where they're bound to confess."

Mona cocked her head. "You mean force them into an awkward situation. Is this your idea of a date? I refuse."

"B-But I thought real hard about it…" Venti's cheerfulness turned into rejection, forcing himself to sit down on the bench. "I can't believe it… my date… ruined…"

"That's just stalking." She stared at Venti's dejected eyes. "Do you think staring at me like a puppy is going to work?"

"Yeah?" Seeing his tactic crash and burn, he took another approach. "Fine, no date. But, how about we do this and you get something in return? I'm sure you still haven't figured out my constellation, so you can ask for another clue."

Mona couldn't help but feel like a child being bribed with cookies. Worst thing was that it was working.

"And what do you get out of following and forcing those two around?"

"The joy of friends being happy, or at least, relieved?" He blurted out without thinking. "I'm a relatively selfless person, you know. I'm not posing resistance to you because I feel like it. I already told you why I can't tell you my constellation."

So far, Mona could tell that he was mostly right. He seemed happy helping random people. But showing kindness and support to others, while she got nothing but witty jokes and… awkward situations, only frustrated her further.

Was that true, however? The way he shifted his expression when that kid asked him that question was odd. Quite similar to the one he used when answering personal questions. There was something in that scrawny body of his that was out of place. Perhaps understanding this would guide her in the right direction.

"Well, fine. So you want these friends together and the mighty Astrologer, Mona Megistus is needed for this. The issue is, I don't need more clues." That was a lie, but she didn't want to prove him right. "I want a free lunch! Wait, no, I need groceries. Or actually…"

"How about you think it along the way?" He answered, scratching the back of his head one last time. "Then, let's 'observe' Diluc without him noticing us. And then Master Jean!"

"You mean stalk."

"You said it, not me! Let's go!"

Mona walked beside Venti as he plotted the route. The bard had no idea where the Master of Dawn Winery was, yet he boasted of several ways of finding him. Anyone he stopped by the street seemed to know Venti, and they kindly pointed out any useful information. To say that these random people understood him, however, was another matter.

So far, he was the storyteller bard for most people. Diluc clearly knew him more intimately, but even he acted distant with the bard. At this point, the person who knew him the best was her, and she doubted her knowledge.

Was tunnel vision getting her again? Maybe she was missing something important and obvious.

Mona stole a glance at his impeccable and clean clothes. They had a fresh, somewhat flowery scent. How did he even do that? As far as she knew, that was the only outfit he had. In comparison, her astrologist outfit gained an earthy, stale smell if she didn't clean it thoroughly.

She'd focus on that. Maybe it would lead to a good, eye-opening conversation. She just needed to naturally bring it up.

"Why don't you smell bad?" In hindsight, that was an awful chat-up line. Venti didn't seem to mind it too much.

"Hm? I'm not really the type who sweats much. And even then I try to keep clean at any time." He grabbed the edge of his cape and pulled it over his head. "Good thing about capes is that they mostly shield you and your clothes. If they get dirty, you only need to clean one thing." He let the cape go and fixed his hair. "And if all goes wrong, I take a nice, relaxing bath on the lake. Winters in Mondstadt are mild, but I can scrounge a bed at any inn if it's too cold. Which normally comes with a free bath."

"I don't know how you can keep positive in that condition. Don't you have friends?" Mona didn't mean to make the question so hostile. "I mean… you said there were people with this curse of yours. Can't they put you up for a while?"

"Why would they? I like this lifestyle. It might be rough, but every day is a free day, doing what I like and meeting different people every week. You could live a similar life. The difference between us is that you made a contract with the worst enemy of freedom. A landlord!" Mona stifled a giggle, which was enough for Venti to smile. "So, why are you asking that? You don't smell that bad."

"Well, because… Hey, whatever do you mean by that? Do I reek?" Mona took her cloak and gave it a curious sniff. It didn't smell bad, but it definitely didn't smell good. She had spent almost a week with it, after all.

"No, nothing of the sort. You smell of oxide. One of those accessories might be rusting from so much exposure to water." Venti pointed to the end of her twintails. "Probably those starry ornaments. Don't they hurt your neck?"

She took one of her twintails and checked the ornaments. They were made with water resistance in mind, but… the one in her left twintail didn't move right. But rust? How in the world did he smell that? Rust didn't smell.

"Anemo hijinks." He immediately said, as if reading her mind. Mona scrutinised the measured expression that he used, quite similar to the one she had seen before. "Why are you looking at me so intently? I can't fix rust. You're basically a mage, don't you have a spell or… Better, some friend specialised in that?"

"Of course! I have friends!" She answered defensively. "There's Fischl. And the Guild people…? And, er… the Traveller? And… And… Albedo. maybe? A-And people that aren't from Mondstadt, you wouldn't know them. O-Oh! Yeah, I can ask Albedo, maybe…"

"Your confidence sure dropped as you talked. There's nothing wrong with having few friends!"

Mona cleared her throat, trying to take the attention off her. "Regardless, I'm too busy researching and writing to focus on these menial things. Now with the stupid bartending, I have even less time."

"You have to make time for yourself, you know? One day, you'll look back to these years and wonder if you spent them all wisely."

Like on many other occasions, Venti could throw wisdom into the most menial of topics. And when he did so, his expression softened into a slight smile with vulnerable eyes. It lasted but a second. Enough for her to notice.

"I'm taking time for myself right now. I spent half a week holed up in my room, so I'm stress-relieving with this. You better be happy." Mona tried to trip him into guilty.

With a quick chuckle, Venti answered. "Oh! I was wondering why you looked like you hadn't slept in three days."

"Technically four. I-I take naps between hours! I'm not…" In less than five minutes, she had just ousted herself as someone who didn't sleep or bathe much. And it didn't even look like he meant to expose her, she did it without even meaning! "I-It's all for the greater good! I'll have a mountain of articles and theories to prove my worth."

"That's good! Better than me, I won't have anything." The blunt admission made Mona feel horrible.

"D-Don't say that, I'm sure you'll make some… famous song?"

"Relax, I rather only have but a few friends who I can feel proud of." He didn't seem sad at all, but Mona wasn't so sure about that. "I've already accomplished all I wanted, this is enough for me. So no need to feel guilty."

"You have a lot of regrets for someone who has accomplished his dreams." Venti shrugged, so Mona continued. "Last time you talked about love. And now it's about regret, is it? If I'm right, then perhaps you're reminiscing about past loves."

Venti tapped his chin, humming loudly. "As shrewd as always, Mona. Rather than past loves, however, I was thinking about those I didn't have. For any reason, really. Confessing itself isn't hard when you know the other person doesn't like you. For example…" He turned towards Mona.

"Don't you dare."

"Partypooper. Storytime then. I confessed to these twins from Inazuma once. Completely disregarded me. It's quite a funny story actually. You see, back in…"

Mona interjected with a snap of her fingers, twisting Venti's expression. "You know I already know your technique of switching topics when they get uncomfortable, right?"

"Fine, fine. You lose a funny, memory-lose-related story. My issue is that I either say what I have in mind instantly or overthink it. I bet you know what I mean… Your mind plays tricks. You don't trust its judgement. You make up excuses. Think about reasons you don't deserve or cannot be with that person. And then that love of yours is gone from your life. And like always, because of me."

She had noticed before, but that settled it. Mona wasn't quite sure why, but he seemed way more self-deprecating today. There was no bombastic plan or the typical set-up situation from the previous times. She wanted to believe he was being sincere.

But without her spells, she couldn't tell. And as such, she stayed silent. She didn't want her ignorance to hurt him further.

They walked through a few commercial streets before ending up in a small residential neighbourhood. Mona had never particularly been here, but the old, triple-story buildings and dusty walkways answered why. Though its residents certainly didn't live in squalor, it didn't look like a safe street.

Venti stopped and rubbed his chin, trying to figure out their next move.

"Diluc's gotta be doing something in this street. We should wait for a while around here." Venti tensed up as a cat walked through the street, turning to Mona. "Maybe we could find something to eat in the meantime."

"I'm not going to eat that cat." She immediately answered, crossing her arms.

"Ew, me neither. Cat food, though…"

Mona flinched in disgust. "Really, Venti? You have money for once."

"Yeah, but I need this for important things such as drowning in liquor. Besides, nice people give leftovers to cats and dogs. And it's free… What, you've never had to resort to this?"

Disregarding the event in the morning, Mona, generally tried to keep some dignity when trying to eat. Tried. That didn't mean she had never stooped low when money got tight. So for simplicity's sake, she answered no.

"I haven't done it while sober, but there's always a first. Besides, I don't like cats. Mondstadt cats are all fat and too affectionate; they don't need all this food. My allergy acts up even with a thought!" He complained while scratching and rubbing his nose.

"You're allergic to cats? That's precious." Mona said without thinking. "I like cats. Gaining their confidence is very rewarding."

"The witch likes cats, what a surprise." His snickering laugh wasn't even stopped by Mona's smack on his shoulder. "Do you also have gouged toad eyes or slobbering eel mouths?"

"Of course not. I have an annoying parrot who can't shut up and loves making me mad. So I msut be a pirate." She sneered, making Venti's laugh more measured and amused.

"Now that was a half-decent joke! Loosening up a little?"

Mona would have gotten annoyed, but it felt refreshing to have someone laugh at her awful attempts at humour. It felt good, even. It didn't seem like many things upset him. Maybe Venti was easy to entertain, though she wasn't too sure if it was genuine or not.

Oh, this could be useful for her next research dive.

"So, what do you say? Cat food, aye or nay, Capt'n?"

"I'm not that desperate." Yet. "I'll cheer you on, though."

"Ohoho, a Moral accomplice. Let's see what cat we can laugh at…"

They walked around the mostly empty street until they saw a young girl leave a plate with porridge on a decrepit stone staircase. The moment the girl ran away, they approached the cat food.

It was some sort of mush of organs and greenish bits. It had a strong iron smell and looked completely inedible.

"Ew," Mona didn't even approach Venti as he sat down on the staircase, taking the plate in hand. "Are you sure that's good?"

She stared silently as Venti stuck his index finger into the mush he called food. And then, he scooped up enough mass to have a taste test. He licked it, made a surprised sound and said: "Nice."

"Seriously?" She asked without thinking. "That thing is probably made of viscera or some disgusting organs."

"I mean, nice for cat food. Needs salt. And onions. And consistency. But it's edible… And all mine!" He cackled maniacally before stopping short. "Unless you want to try it? Hmm? Capt'n? Hmm?"

"Stop humming, I'll do it. I know you're playing me, though." Mona was too hungry to even argue. She had eaten worse things.

She sat down next to Venti, who in turn shifted his body away from her. "Shouldn't you remove those nifty gloves? You'll dirty them."

"Nothing some hydro won't wash off." In turn, she stuck her index finger into the hogwash. "Ew, why is it so wet?"

Not thinking twice about it, she licked the mush. Besides the horrifying coldness of the food, it had a strong gamy flavour. It was somewhat balanced by the unknown cereal or vegetable it was mixed it. While it was not the worst thing she had eaten, it was certainly on the bottom ranking.

"If it was warm, it could be edible. Alas, I'm not that desperate." She was that desperate, but to do so in front of the bard? No, never.

"Well, this is too crude for my tastes. I just wanted to make you eat it too." Venti took the bowl and placed it down on the floor. "I gather liver is not your favourite food?"

"No, my— That was liver? Yuck… I don't normally eat meat, much less random organs. Meat's too expensive." She eyed the cat food one last time and tried to ignore it. "I prefer salads. Way less time-consuming and quite filling."

"Fair enough. I like fruit salad. Well, it depends. I prefer to savour each fruit on their own… That's probably because apples are my favourite food, though. Fruit salad without apples is better."

"Apples aren't a food." She answered, prompting Venti to close his mouth in surprise.

They stared at each other in confusion.

"What?" Venti broke the silence.

"Apples are a snack or an ingredient, like carrots."

"No, they're not… Carrots?! Who eats carrots on their own?"

"Many people! Food is meant to be filling, snacks are only meant to stave off hunger until you prepare an actual meal." Mona crossed her arms as Venti sat sideways to face her better.

"That's what food does too, you're always going to be hungry. Snacks are food!"

"That's just semantics. Apples are not even filling… Well, baked apples are. With brown sugar. Or honey roasted! I made some with Fischl, and they were so sweet and soft! Honey's so expensive though..." Mona reminisced for a few more moments before faking a cough. "As I said, apples on their own are like onions... they need to be baked…"

"I thought you were using carrots as a comparison."

"Carrots, onions. Same thing."

"Totally not…" Venti let go of his apple-driven crusade with a quick sigh. "Honey isn't expensive if you know where to look. Well, it is if you can't let go of the guilt of stealing from hard-working bees. And as a bonus, this guy right here knows of the best apples of Teyvat. If you want to drown in sugar, you just need to tell me."

"It's… fine. I don't need guilty pleasures. And I don't want to be indebted to you."

"Hmm… This gave me an idea! Baking date. You put the kitchen and I put the ingredients. God knows we need some actual food on our stomachs."

Mona's stomach tried to answer for her, but she managed to say something else. "Aren't dates supposed to be romantic?"

Venti scoffed at her answer. "Is that why you declined my obviously better stalking date? Romance is boring and unfulfilling. Like carrots. What we're going to do is fun and satisfying. Like apples."

"Hah, shut up, apple-boy." Mona decided to stop holding back and giggled. "I'll try to make some room in my schedule, then."

"Yay!"

Venti raised his hand for a high-five. As if she had never heard of the concept, Mona awkwardly tapped his hand like he was contagious. And then, embarrassed of the lacklustre attempt, she slapped his hand with the force of a falling mountain. Even with such force, the clap was barely audible.

"There we go!" Venti didn't seem to mind if it even hurt him. "Now, I suppose we'll just have to wait until Diluc jumps off a window or something cool like that."

Thankful that the bard didn't tease her, Mona tried to forget the whole endeavour.

Venti looked away, his eyes focusing on two men walking by. Mona couldn't tell why, they looked quite unremarkable. They seemed familiar for some reason, perhaps some customers of Angel's Share. They were of similar heights, but their voices were almost completely different. One was high and melodic, while the other one was low and grumpy. Whatever they were doing, Mona could tell they were somewhat nervous.

But Venti sensed something else, Mona was sure. She didn't know what, but she could notice that his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

She couldn't hear many words besides an unnaturally fury-filled "windfucker".

"I didn't know people disliked Barbatos," Mona said, luring Venti's eyes back to her. "I mean, I get it. Rex Lapis is way more useful."

The soft breeze suddenly changed directions.

"Morax? Really?"

"Yeah. You should pray to him too, maybe he'll give you some money. Once I found 100 Mora after praying to him."

Venti sneered at her answer, mixing astonishment and anger. "That golden god probably doesn't even know how to sum properly. He's probably like… five is not an even number, you cannot divide it."

"What's this? Don't tell me… Do I sense a hint of jealousy?" Mona nudged Venti, shoulder to shoulder. "I heard Mondstantians dislike Rex Lapis because he tried to buy the country centuries ago. Are you one of those?"

"No, no. I'm no devotee. I'm just saying, you're living how you want to, right? That's classic Barbatos."

She thought about it for a moment. "I can't live without money, so Rex Lapis it is."

"Well but… you can't… I mean, you can… I'm not telling you what to do but…" Venti fidgeted in place. "You said it yourself, that guy's a jerk!"

Mona softly giggled as Venti's attitude once again cracked. She wasn't sure, but she was beginning to enjoy how she was slowly seeping into those fissures. But… She wasn't supposed to do that. She just had to find out what he liked and all that, not tease him.

But it was fun, so why not?

"At least Rex Lapis can drop a boulder on me because… he's a big dragon. What's Barbatos going to do? Tickle me with wind?"

"H-He can blow mountains away! That means Morax is worse!" Venti retorted, like a child losing a made-up argument.

"Pfft! No, he can't."

"Yes, he can!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yu-uh!"

"No-no!"

Mona could tell Venti was about to pull out the heavy guns when he suddenly smirked and quickly said: "SayWhatIfYouWantToBeTickled."

"What?"

Mona thought she wasn't particularly ticklish. Venti, however, didn't care about that. He wasn't particularly forceful, his fingers merely grazed her waist for no more than a second. Yet that nervous laugh typical of tickles escaped her lips almost immediately.

"Another easy Venti win." He dusted off his hands, quite proud of his accomplishment. "Finally, my losing streak is over."

Mona stuttered nervously. "T-That doesn't invalidate m—"

Again, with a mere brush of his fingers, Venti managed to make Mona laugh. This time, however, Mona tried to tickle him back. But whether it was his clothes or incredible self-control, he wasn't faced at all.

"You need more experience~." Venti happily cooed, tickling her once again without any effort.

"N-No! It's because of this weird corset thingy, take it off." She stuck her fingers inside the corset, immediately prompting Venti to twist his lips. "Oh, you trickster, I knew it! You were cheating!"

"Hm, maybe. But, counterpoint." Venti tried to tickle her again, but Mona grabbed his hand quickly.

"Ah yeah? Retort." Mona said, trying to stick her fingers inside his clothes again. Venti also stopped her, leaving the two of them locked in hands.

"Oh no, handholding! I'm so embarrassed." Venti playfully feigned shame. "But like I said, we're on a truce. So let's leave this bout for the next time, and focus on our Diluc Hunting."

Venti stopped grabbing her hands, and Mona followed a second afterwards. She didn't understand why he seemed to refuse physical contact anymore.

"Those guys that passed before… Do you remember them? They were part of that rowdy and suspicious group of that bartending night. I'd say it's no coincidence they're around here."

Mona was no longer surprised by his ability to talk about the most random topics. She was, however, surprised at his memory. "Ah, right… That disgusting group with lecherous eyes. I understand what you mean, however. They were at Angel Share and now they're near Diluc. Do you think Master Diluc's doing shady deals? Because I'd say he's trying to learn something about them."

"Bingo. Aren't you a little bit curious? Maybe we'll find him in a situation where we can call Master Jean… AND BAM! They start making babies."

"You lost me there, but I am curious about his fate. I keep forgetting to check which constellation it is." Mona stood up and cleaned the dust from her legs. "I can find Diluc in a moment."

"Oh, you can? Then why didn't you…" Venti stood up but couldn't finish the sentence.

"Because I don't like you."

As Mona checked Diluc's position with her scryglass, she glanced at Venti. He seemed deep in thought, looking at her scryglass with curious eyes… He was avoiding her, but he didn't seem to mind talking with her. Or perhaps, thinking outside the box, Venti had some ulterior motive, that bard stuff he talked about, to find Diluc and this group. Which one was it? Was Venti worried about his relationship with her? Or stressed about whatever he was hiding? Perhaps… both?

Mona steeled her resolve. She'd find out today, no matter how.