"I only have five thousand Mora, I hope Miss Diona can be lenient!"
Stelle said this in her heart; she didn't have the courage to say it directly yet.
To prolong the time as much as possible, she could only sip slowly, little by little.
This small cup of drink wasn't much; most people would finish it in just a few sips.
But Stelle still hadn't finished even half of it after ten minutes.
It made Diona start to doubt herself.
Could it be that the drink she mixed wasn't actually good, and this older sister was just comforting her?
That shouldn't be...
Since Diona started bartending, no one had ever said that her drinks weren't good.
On the contrary, every time those annoying drunkards gave feedback, it was always: "Little Diona has improved again."
It made her meow in frustration.
"Uh, actually, it's because it's too delicious; I really can't bear to drink it all at once," Stelle noticed Diona's strange gaze and quickly made up an excuse.
"After all, it's such a precious limited edition drink..."
"If you want to drink it, I, I can mix it for you in the future," Diona said in a low voice, her small face blushing, but then she quickly turned her head away, crossing her arms: "N-don't misunderstand! I just see that you're different from those drunkard adults, it's not because of anything else!"
"Then I am truly honored," Stelle smiled awkwardly.
According to the discussions of others in the tavern, Diona basically never made this drink.
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen you in Mondstadt City. Where are you from?" Diona leaned on the counter, looking at Stelle curiously.
Whether it was her clothes and demeanor or her appearance, Stelle looked distinctly different from them.
She was clearly an outsider.
"From afar," Stelle thought for a moment and still gave a very vague answer.
"How far?"
"So far that I don't know how to go back," Stelle sighed deeply, lowering her head to stare blankly at the seemingly endless drink on the table.
Her memory was still somewhat blurry; many things from before were unclear, let alone how she came to this world—she had no idea at all.
Sometimes she even wondered if she was the original owner of this body.
But no matter what, the emotions deep within her heart could not be faked.
She only had one thought now, and that was to go back, back to her family on the Express.
"Mmm..." Diona felt a little downcast seeing Stelle's forlorn expression.
Her cat ears drooped, and her tail stopped swaying.
"Oh, it's nothing, anyway, I have plenty of time, and one day I'll find a way to go back," Stelle noticed Diona's expression.
Seeing that this cute little cat girl was affected by her, she quickly spoke to comfort her, and herself.
"Mm! Big sister is a good adult who doesn't drink, and she will surely achieve all her wishes!" Diona nodded.
"A good adult who doesn't drink?" Stelle tilted her head in confusion.
Although she indeed didn't drink, wasn't it a bit strange coming from the mouth of a bartender?
"Why is not drinking considered a good adult?" Stelle was very curious about the little cat girl.
She was clearly a bartender, yet she seemed to hate alcohol.
When she asked for a non-alcoholic drink just now, she could also feel Diona's excitement.
"Those drunkards, when they get drunk, they're just like wild boars that have just eaten their fill and are rolling in the mud!" Diona said indignantly.
Even her most respected father, when he got drunk, he was completely unlike himself.
"It's all alcohol's fault. Alcohol is a bad thing that deceives people and makes them stupid!" Diona looked at Stelle, a hint of scrutiny flashing in her eyes, "Big sister, don't turn into that kind of person in the future, or else, or else..."
"Or else I'll destroy the entire world's alcohol industry, that would be too much work," Diona struggled for a long time but couldn't say anything harsh to Stelle.
"Haha, don't worry, I don't really like drinking," Stelle smiled gently.
"But why did the 'Mondstadt Alcohol Industry Killer' become the signature bartender of the tavern?"
She asked a question she was very curious about, but then she realized that after asking this question, Diona's mood clearly changed.
She looked angry, yet with a hint of grievance, as if she was about to cry.
Stelle's heart instantly became flustered; she was still wondering if she had said something wrong.
"I'm sorry!" Stelle noticed something was amiss and immediately clasped her hands together, apologizing loudly before Diona could speak.
"Fine, I'll forgive you. After all, Big Sister is also visiting Mondstadt for the first time," Diona pouted when she saw this.
Then, she began to tell Stelle about her own affairs.
She talked about her troubles, saying that no matter what she did, she couldn't mix a bad-tasting drink.
Stelle listened silently, and also thought of herself.
Her current physique also seemed to have some issues, but for her, it didn't seem to pose a problem for now.
And how to put it, maybe this was also a good thing?
------------
It seemed Diona hadn't had such a happy chat with anyone in a long time; time flowed by, and coincidentally, no one came to disturb them during this period.
Unconsciously, the sky outside gradually darkened, and Stelle, as if waking from a dream, only then realized that the not-so-much drink had been completely emptied at some point.
"Are you leaving?" Diona also looked out the window, then turned to ask Stelle.
At this time, there weren't many customers left in the tavern; normally, the later it got, the better the tavern's business should be.
But because of the Dragon Disaster, everyone went home early in the evening.
"Yes, it's time to go. I have an appointment to meet someone," Stelle nodded, appearing calm on the surface, but inwardly she was extremely conflicted.
She had no Mora...
"Then, will you come again?" Diona looked at Stelle with hope.
"Cough, w-well, maybe," Stelle choked a little.
She couldn't possibly tell Diona that she had no Mora and probably wouldn't be coming again, could she?
"That's good... Don't misunderstand, I just want you to help me taste non-alcoholic drinks, that's all," Diona said happily, but then deliberately put on a stern face.
"Diona, um, how much does this drink cost?" Seeing this, Stelle gritted her teeth and finally asked, resigned.
She always had to face it; avoiding it was useless.
"M-meow? Twenty thousand Mora a cup," Diona answered truthfully.
This price was actually quite reasonable; it wasn't too expensive.
To be fair, in Mondstadt City, a jar of jam costs over 1300 Mora. For a mixed drink like this, plus Diona's unique skill, 20,000 Mora was already very good.
It wasn't much more expensive than the alcoholic drinks.
"Can I pay later...?" Stelle cautiously looked up at Diona.
"Huh?!" Diona's eyes widened; she seemed to have completely not expected Stelle to blurt out such a sentence.
"You didn't bring any Mora?"
"Uh, I actually don't have Mora."