Summary: Scaramouche learns that Mona is struggling with money. He wants to help her without Mona discovering him. (ScaraMona)
âYour tricks wonât save you now. This is my win.â Scaramouche flicked his wrist and he summoned his catalyst between Mona and himself. The mirror within his Hakushin Ring spun rapidly and threads of electricity flowed from the catalyst. They were too close for Mona to dodge the burst of lightning easily. Monaâs eyes didnât falter though and she countered his attack with one of her own.
âStellaris Phantasm!â Mona created an illusory bubble around the ring. The water dispersed his lightning but she couldnât control its direction as she hoped. The combination of their thunder and water caused an elemental reaction between them and they were both struck by lightning. They were both knocked to the ground and they laid next to each other.
While neither of them was injured badly, they were too exhausted to continue. Mona laid on her back and she took a moment to catch her breath. She stared at the clouds above her but she kept Scaramouche in the corner of her gaze. In the past, she wouldâve watched him out of suspicion. She now studied his profile out of curiosity, as if she could learn more about him from his eyes.
He had his eyes closed as he muttered, âAnother draw.â
âI was close to beating you.â She argued. âTell me what you meant when you said the stars are a lie.â
Over the past few weeks, Scaramouche would challenge her to spar. They would meet in a clearing next to a lake to fight. She accepted because she wanted to know why he called the stars a lie. Mona was an astrologist and the night sky was important to her. She could always rely on the stars to be present in her life. Their fights would end in a draw and he only gave her a vague explanation for his words. Surprisingly, he never tried to lie to her.
âItâs a waste of breath to explain something pointless.â Scaramouche said and he sat up. He took out a sunsettia from his bag and he tossed the fruit towards her without a word. She accepted the gift and she bit into the sunsettia. As strange as it was to say, she grew to trust Scaramouche while they sparred. She could sense that he was holding himself back to not hurt her during their fights. She still had a lot of questions for him such as why he wanted to spar with her.
His clothes were damp due to her attack and he did his best to shake the water from his hat. Water droplets rose from his clothes and he sensed Monaâs powers circling him. He placed his hand on his catalyst, wary that she intended to attack him. His time among the Fatui taught him to distrust others aside from his own power.
Mona merely flicked the water into the nearby lake. She also controlled the water that soaked her clothes so they would be dry. She glanced at her reflection and she saw that her hair had become dishevelled during their fight. While appearances werenât important to her compared to knowledge, she knew she couldnât return to her shop in such a state.
She eased her hair free from their usual pigtails and she tried to smooth it back into place. She struggled to tie her pigtails evenly without a comb. Mona needed to lean forward to see her reflection and it caused her hair to fall forward. Warm fingers pushed her hands aside and she looked over her shoulder to Scaramouche. She had assumed he quietly left after she dried his clothes.
âHow can you create water phantoms but you canât do something as simple as this? I donât understand you at all. Hold still.â Scaramouche clicked his tongue. He stood behind her and he deftly tied her hair into place. Once he was finished, he dropped his hand back to his side and he stepped back from her. Yet, the warmth of his touch lingered.
âI didnât expect you to be good at this. Klee tells me that her big brother would brush her hair sometimes. Do you have a little sister?â
Through his reflection in the water, she saw how Scaramouche stiffened. He tugged the large brim of his hat down so it shadowed his face. Scaramouche intended to ignore her question but her large eyes compelled him to answer. He whispered his next words with the hope that she wouldnât hear him. âI donât know. Even if she had another like myself, I wouldnât consider us a family.â
He didnât say anything further and he fell silent until the air became tense between them. Mona felt guilty that she made him recall a painful memory. His expression was neither lonely nor solemn like she expected it would be. Scaramouche brushed aside her silent questions with an empty smile. âI donât need your pity. Iâm not a part of her plan for eternity and I wouldnât want to be.â
Scaramouche wondered how she would react to the truth of his birth and looming eternity. He kept his identity a secret from most so people would underestimate him and allow him to defeat them easier. For the first time, he worried the secret would hurt someone. He didnât let himself question the reason behind those feelings.
âTomorrow, meet me here and Iâll show you how strong I am.â He said and it was obvious to Mona that he wanted to change the topic.
âI canât.â She said as she shook her head. âI promised Jean that I would babysit Klee and one of my regular customers made an appointment for tomorrow. Kleeâs a good kid but I hope she behaves herself while Iâm doing my reading. The last time I babysat her, she experimented with my tools and caused an explosion. My rent is due soon and I canât afford to replace another telescope.â
âDo you need help with money?â At his question, pride made her expression harden.
âOf course not. Anyone would be upset to lose something they worked hard to buy.â She immediately denied that she was struggling with money but he didnât need to be an astrologist to know that she was lying. Mona turned away from him and she tried to hide her expression by biting into a sunsettia.
Scaramouche wrapped his hand around her wrist and he pulled her towards him. She didnât know what he intended to do and she held her breath as he leaned closer. Then, he bit into the fruit she held. The mischievous grin he gave her made her flustered. She hid her blush beneath anger and she lightly slapped his shoulder. âHey, that was mine!â
âIf I recall, that sunsettia was mine. I picked a bag of them.â He pulled away from her and stood. âI have a meeting I need to go to. When I want to train again, Iâll pay you a visit.â
âYouâre so childish! How can you start a fight and then run away like that?â Mona huffed after him and she pouted. She looked down at the spot where he sat and she found a small pile of sunsettia. She doubted that someone like Scaramouche left them behind by accident.
âYou are to buy a horoscope from that shop.â Scaramouche ordered a Fatui member and he dropped a heavy bag of mora into his hand. âLeave the astrologist a generous tip.â
âWhat should I ask her about?â He asked hesitantly and Scaramouche silenced any further questions with a glare. The Fatui member quickly nodded and he dashed towards Monaâs shop. Scaramouche watched the man disappear into the building and his gaze moved to the window. Through the glass, he could see Mona playing with a young girl. She had a carefree smile and he didnât understand the strange butterflies he felt when he saw her.
He tore his gaze away from Mona and he turned to leave. Scaramouche didnât want to draw attention or questions from the others around him. His clothes were from Inazuma and he stood out from the people of Mondstatd. He walked into an alley to avoid the crowded street but he found someone waiting for him. His brows drew together the moment Childe waved at him.
âShouldnât you be in Liyue, Childe?â Scaramouche asked as he tried to walk past him. While Childe was also a Harbinger, the man was unpredictable and he didnât fully trust him.
âI can ask you the same question.â Childe said with a confident smile. The warmth of his smile didnât fool Scaramouche because he would also hide his true nature under a false persona. Scaramouche kept his face composed even as Childe nodded towards Monaâs shop. âAre tarot readings now a part of our budget?â
âAre cor lapises and fancy chopsticks a part of our budget?â Scaramouch easily countered without answering his question. He knew that Childe merely wanted to provoke him into a fight so he told himself to ignore him. âKnowledge is a skill that you will never master. Return to Liyue and leave me to my own plan here in Mondstadt.â
âDo you believe your own lies?â Childe stopped him from leaving by placing his hand on the wall and blocking his path. âYour little friend reads the stars and you call them fake. In that case, what can she possibly do for you? Isnât she a waste of your time?â
Scaramoucheâs fingers twitched and he summoned his catalyst within a burst of lightning. With his other hand, he grabbed Childeâs shirt and he roughly pushed him against the wall. He glared at him but his confident grin never felt. The sight irritated Scaramouche all the more because he knew that he fell for Childeâs provocation. âYouâre getting on my nerves.â
The other Harbingers had warned Childe that Scaramouche was intimidating but he found him amusing. However, he could sense his power stored within his catalyst. He had always wanted to fight him but Scaramouche would ignore his requests to spar. Childe finally found a way to convince him to fight. âCan we trust anything that girl predicts when sheâs weak?â
âEternal Lightning,â Scaramouche whispered the attack and thunder surrounded them. A portal opened behind Childe and they fell through to the outskirts of Liyue. âYou want to fight? Let me grant your wish.â
âScaramouche?â He looked up when his name was called. Mona ran towards him but Scaramouche didnât have the energy to greet her. He received a few wounds during his fight with Childe and then he went to a Statue of the Seven to heal. He didnât expect to see Mona again that day because she told him she would be working. âWhat happened to you?â
âNothing that concerns you.â He lied. âDid you come here to spar with me? As you can see, Iâm not in the mood to fight.â
âI came to return this.â Mona took out a bag of mora from her satchel and he immediately recognized it. âYour fatui friend came to buy a fortune. He asked me about his future prospects. It felt like he was just asking me random questions. Iâm an astrologist and I know when someone is trying to lie to me. He wasnât there for a fortune. I told you that I donât need your mora.â
âMost people would just take the mora.â He knew that it was pointless to lie to her. Scaramouche studied her face but he didnât see anger like he expected. She was a prideful woman and he respected that aspect of her personality. He took the bag she held out to him and he shook out a few coins. âYou did give him a reading so you should take your normal fee at least.â
âI already did.â She said and he laughed. He didnât know which of them was more surprised by his reaction, Mona or himself. Scaramouche couldnât remember the last time he genuinely laughed. âYou still have the strength to laugh. Do you want to spar tomorrow?â
