They had already woken up quite late, and because of yesterday's events they talked for a long while.
But since Mona still hadn't gotten dressed, their chat accidentally reignited the spark; by the time they finally emerged fully clothed, the sun was nearly setting.
"This tent's probably done for." Mona stared at the little tent and sighed in resignation.
A pity—she hadn't used it long; she'd bought it just before coming to Mondstadt.
Not that the tent was anything special, but it had cost her a fair bit of Mora, and she hated to part with it.
"Can't be helped…" Stelle rubbed her head, glanced at Mona, then swallowed whatever she'd been about to say.
Who could blame Mona? As a Hydro Vision bearer, her element was simply too abundant.
Besides, their movements had been rather vigorous; the flimsy frame couldn't take it and was now on the verge of collapse, most of the poles snapped.
So if blame had to be assigned, Stelle bore half, but Mona carried the greater share.
"Hmph?" Mona shot Stelle a faux-angry look; she sensed what Stelle had left unsaid.
"A-hem, let's pack the tent away; even if it's unusable, it can be a keepsake," Stelle coughed and suggested.
As far as she knew, the tents used with Rosaria and Lumine had also ended up as souvenirs.
They'd certainly never be used again—purely mementos.
"Huh? W-what's there to commemorate…" Mona's cheeks reddened and her gaze darted away.
Still, littering in the wild wasn't good, so they might as well pack it up for now.
They could toss it later.
After some work, the little campsite was restored to its original state, with no trace of their stay.
"So… what do you plan to do?" Mona exhaled softly and turned to Stelle.
What had happened between her and Stelle was something even astrology probably couldn't predict. Given Mona's nature, she couldn't simply pretend nothing had occurred.
Nor could Stelle, especially since Mona wasn't her only partner.
"I… may have to leave," Mona said, staring into Stelle's golden eyes and biting her lip.
She'd only come to Mondstadt to pick up a few things for her master; no matter what, she had to finish that task.
In other words, she couldn't stay by Stelle's side forever—her own training wasn't finished yet.
As for whether she would tell her master once she returned… although Mona usually complained about her and even called the old woman a hag behind her back, the woman was still her elder, and Mona felt a little scared and unsure.
"Actually, I won't be staying in Mondstadt for long either," Stelle sighed softly.
She still had to find a way back to the Express; no matter how many emotional debts she'd left in this world, she had no plans to settle here.
Unless every familiar face decided to stay.
But as long as she remembered this world's coordinates—and with its teleport waypoints—she wasn't especially worried.
She could always come back.
Of course, that was for the future; for now, her immediate goal was to head to Liyue with Lumine.
"I see…" Mona nodded, hiding her disappointment.
Would she and Stelle ever meet again? Watching her, Stelle pondered a moment, then pulled Mona into a hug.
At a time like this, a hug said everything.
"I believe we'll have a day when we can stay together forever—and it won't be long." Ignoring Mona's feeble struggle, Stelle whispered in her ear.
If only she could have a big house where everyone could live, a house that could shrink and be carried around with some special technology.
But this world probably couldn't produce something like that; out in the universe, though, there might be a way to compress space and build such a home.
"Really? You're not going to forget me once you've got some other woman?" Mona pouted.
Her tiny resistance faded quickly; Stelle's embrace seemed to drain every last ounce of her strength.
"Of course not. A true Trailblazer never abandons family."
Stelle had already worked it out: she could use this world's teleport waypoints to hop around easily.
In other words, she could take care of everyone she'd met so far.
It might keep her busy—but that was a price she had to pay.
"F-family…" The word made Mona oddly happy.
"Or you could say wife." Stelle smiled down at her.
"W-who said I'm your wife!" Mona looked away, cheeks scarlet.
"Oh? Want me to prove it?" Stelle lifted Mona's chin and slowly leaned in.
"Mm…"
---
In any case, Mona's work for the day was ruined—though it hardly mattered; she'd already divined the gist last night. All that remained was confirmation from Lumine and Fischl.
So, before it grew too late, the two headed back to Mondstadt City.
The only snag: Mona had planned to camp two nights in the wild, grab her master's things once the incident ended, and leave. Mostly, she was broke and couldn't keep paying for the inn—so she'd brought a tent.
But now the inn room was cancelled and the tent was… out of commission.
Mona had nowhere to stay.
"Why not crash at my place tonight?" Stelle suggested cautiously.
"Your place? Aren't you staying with…" Mona remembered Stelle was lodging with an Outrider of the Knights of Favonius.
And that Outrider's relationship with Stelle seemed… similar to hers.
"I-it feels awkward," Mona hesitated.
Everyone might be fine with it, but meeting like that still felt embarrassing.
"It's fine. Amber might not even be home, and where else can we go?" Stelle reasoned.
Even if Amber were in, she'd never turn Mona away.
A short stay—or even a long one—wouldn't bother her.
"…All right." Mona finally nodded.
Nowhere else to stay; awkwardness was cheaper than coin.
As the title says, I rewrote Chapter 148 countless times only to get rejected each time. I give up—leaving it as is.
Tomorrow I'll post an "extended" version in the group; this chapter doesn't affect the plot much anyway.
Also, no update today. After getting back from the hospital yesterday I felt awful, so I went for a follow-up today.
I won't bore you with the details—no need to sound like I'm fishing for pity.
Looks like surgery is likely; schedule's unclear, maybe next month if it's quick.
The doc says recovery takes about two weeks.
Let's see—4k words a day, 14 days… 4000×14 = 56,000.
I just need to stockpile 56k before next month. Recovery varies, so I might still miss a few days.
But at least I won't vanish for a full fortnight.
So rest assured—before the op I'll hoard as many chapters as I can, so updates don't stop while I'm under the knife.
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