No sooner had Diona finished speaking than Uncle Egg emerged with a tray carrying the freshly cooked Mondstadt Grilled Fish. The dish smelled amazing, incredibly appetizing.
The aroma of the grilled fish spread through the tavern. Cats that had been sleeping or playing were instantly drawn to it. They lifted their heads and stared, searching for the source of that delicious scent.
"Miss, here is your Mondstadt Grilled Fish. These are the seasonings. Please enjoy."
Uncle Egg placed the dish in front of Bonanus with practiced grace. He looked professionally trained.
"Will there be anything else?" Uncle Egg smiled professionally, his eyes narrowing.
"No, that should be all. I'll pay after I finish." Bonanus nodded in response. This man's cooking was very good. With more training, he could become even better.
"No need to pay. Miss Diona is treating you." Uncle Egg shook his head. After saying that, he returned to his usual spot.
Treating? When? Diona had been right in front of her the whole time and hadn't said anything about it. Could the two of them communicate through eye contact?
Bonanus looked up at Diona, confused.
"I make good money. Don't worry about it." Diona put her hands on her hips, her usual tsundere self.
As Cat's Tail's superstar bartender and the daughter of Springvale's chief hunter, Diona was never short on Mora. She was practically a little rich girl.
"That's not what I meant. I was wondering how Uncle Egg knew you were treating me." Bonanus laughed awkwardly.
"We just made eye contact. Uncle Egg always understands what I mean."
Diona seemed confused by Bonanus's question. That was probably the默契 (unspoken understanding) that built up from working together for so long.
Wow, so it really was eye contact. Impressive.
"Thank you, Diona. I won't hold back, then." Bonanus blew on the grilled fish and took small bites.
It was delicious. It tasted so good that it didn't even need seasoning. Probably because she had been eating vegetarian for the past few months, so meat tasted especially good now.
"Why does it look like you haven't eaten meat in centuries?" Diona looked at Bonanus with a puzzled expression. Every time she took a bite, she looked overjoyed.
"You're pretty sharp. I've been eating vegetarian for almost two months now. It's been a while since I had meat." Bonanus stuffed her cheeks full like a hamster.
That "haven't eaten meat in a while" part wasn't entirely true. When she was in Liyue Harbor, she had taken Xiao out for things like braised pork and meatballs.
She might have just forgotten. She tended to order vegetarian dishes in front of others.
"You're a bit contradictory. One moment you're a vegetarian, the next you're a carnivore." Diona squinted. This lady was pretty interesting.
"Speaking of which, when Uncle Egg brought out the fish, all the cats stared at it. But none of them came to steal it." Bonanus looked at the cats watching her.
"They don't bother the customers. Besides, I'm right here with you."
Diona shrugged. Honestly, it was because she was there. Otherwise, those restless cats would have jumped at the fish already.
Animals had no resistance to good food.
"Diona, you're a lifesaver." Bonanus gave her a thumbs up. This big cat was pretty reliable too.
"Ha... ah. Just take your time eating, or you'll choke." Diona covered her mouth and yawned. She looked a little tired.
She stretched and pulled out another bottle of apple juice from under the counter, refilling Bonanus's empty glass.
"Diona, you're pretty considerate." As she said this, Bonanus couldn't help staring at Diona's ears.
They twitched and moved. So cute.
"I'm always considerate to people. Except for drunks. They're lucky if they don't make me angry." Diona shook her head.
As Mondstadt's superstar bartender, Diona always had to deal with drunk uncles. They only came near her to get good drinks. It was really annoying.
Sometimes she envied Barbara at the church. Barbara's fans were all young people. Her fans were just a bunch of drunk uncles.
"I can tell. By the way, we're having a small party tonight. Diona, do you want to come?" Bonanus invited warmly.
Diona shook her head without hesitation. A small party might have been fun, but she had more important things to do.
She needed to recreate the drink from the recipe and give it to her father. If it worked, destroying Mondstadt's wine industry would be within reach.
"Aww, that's too bad." Bonanus looked a little disappointed. Getting rejected by a friend was always a downer.
Seeing Bonanus's expression, Diona quickly waved her hands. "Don't be like that. I really don't have time this time. Next time, I'll definitely come."
"Then it's a deal." Bonanus grinned. Diona was easy to win over.
"Mm. I always keep my word." Diona patted her chest confidently.
They chatted a bit more, then fell into comfortable silence.
Bonanus continued eating her fish and drinking her apple juice. Diona busied herself with the drinkware on the counter.
---
A short while later
"Diona! Table three has placed an order. Take a look."
A young server hurried to the bar and handed Diona the order slip.
Diona took it and frowned. As she scanned the list, her expression visibly darkened. That annoyed look was back.
So many drinks. The people in table three were probably going to be carried out again tonight. Annoying.
Even though she didn't want to, Diona started mixing drinks. She was an employee of Cat's Tail, after all. She had basic professionalism.
"You're busy again." Bonanus rested her cheek on her hand. "When you're done, could you top up my apple juice?"
"Sure, but you'll have to wait a bit."
Diona nodded, picked up the shaker, and began her flair bartending.
She poured some drinks Bonanus couldn't recognize into the shaker, then added some unknown ingredients. Probably seasonings.
After sealing the shaker, she shook it left and right.
Then she tossed it into the air. The tin spun twice before falling back down.
It didn't hit the ground. Diona caught it with her tail.
"Amazing!" Bonanus clapped. Flair bartending was really entertaining to watch.
And that was just the beginning. Diona followed up with several more difficult moves that left Bonanus completely stunned.
She could never pull off such difficult tricks. Diona was incredibly skilled. As expected of Mondstadt's superstar bartender.