Mona had been toying about with a scryglass when Rosaria walked by. The mansion was empty, save them. She needed a place to cool her head and Rosaria was skipping out on choir—again. The astrologist stifled a yawn. She'd been working all-nighters on her articles and needed a break.
Suddenly, Rosaria stopped in front of her. The tall, slender woman turned to Mona.
"Hey," she said.
"Hello. May I help you?"
Rosaria paused. She shuffled, uncomfortably, struggling for words. There was an uncharacteristic note of dread in her normally impassive demeanor.
"I…want to get something off my chest," she admitted. "Problem is, it's not something I can say aloud."
Mona nodded. She prepared the scryglass and read her constellations.
She learned all about Rosaria's troubled past before Mondstadt. The bandits murdered her village and took her in. All her horrible struggles revealed themselves. But this wasn't what she wanted to confess.
She skipped ahead to her first date with Aether.
Mona saw everything.
"Oh," she gasped. Her scryglass dissipated. "Oh, I didn't know. I'm so sorry."
The nun averted her eyes.
Sorrow panged in Mona's chest. She felt like she ought to reach out and comfort her friend, but she didn't know how. The astrologist had no idea how anyone could help.
But, Mona knew she had to try. She gestured beside her, inviting Rosaria to sit down on the couch with her. The nun lowered herself, still not looking at Mona.
"Does anyone else know?"
Rosaria shook her head.
"I see. This…this must've been so hard for you, Rosaria. Is there anything I can do?"
She swallowed. "Will it ever change?"
A fortune reading. Mona shook in dread. Too often she had studied the stars of others, searching for anyway to change their fate. Destiny, she knew, was seldom fair.
"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked.
"Yes."
Once more, she opened the scryglass. Mona searched the stars for any hint of her future. She parsed through those constellations, begging they show mercy Please, she prayed deeply, just this once.
Fate revealed itself.
Rosaria saw her expression falter. She could guess what Mona had seen.
Rosaria pulled her long legs up on the couch and hugged herself.
No. She wouldn't let it end there.
Mona dug deeper through the cosmic tapestry in search of a different future, a different possibility—anything that might offer some bit of hope. The astrologist peered out further, beyond the limits of sight and reality. Sweat beaded her forehead as she grunted with exertion.
There! A tiny spark of possibility. Mona peered into this tiny star.
Her scryglass dissipated. She caught her breath, wiping off her sweat as she tried to comprehend what she'd seen. It wasn't what she hoped to find, but it was something. Slowly, she sat up. In a solemn voice, she spoke.
"I'm sorry. I don't see them in your future. But never forget: Fate is not immutable. Somethings can change."
Rosaria dared show a glimmer of hope.
"Would you like to know what I did see?"
Shyly, Rosaria gave a slight nod.
"I see that Aether will always love you. I see that you will adopt a beautiful, little girl. In fact," Mona said, "it seems, you'll be the first person in the UHA to have a child of your own. Everyone else is going to be so jealous."
They both chuckled, imagining Ayaka, Keqing, and Yae Miko seething with envy. Mona continued.
"This girl will think of you as her mommy. To her, you and Aether will be her parents. You will love her, and she will love you. And you know what else? Every one of us will adore her, because she will be ours too."
Rosaria smiled. It wasn't a weak smile, no—she smiled broadly with tears in her eyes.
The nun reached out and embraced Mona. The astrologist was startled. Once her initial wave of surprise subsided, she returned the hug.
Rosaria let Mona hold her. They sat there, silently commiserating. Mona didn't need astrology to see Rosaria's heart. She brimmed with love both for the girl who would one day become her daughter, and for her best friend.