Eula x Reader - Disgraced Yet Defiant

Chapter 17: Recovery

Diona: "Oh! And here, here! Look, look! I'm on a card too, see, I've got it right here! See?"

Y/N: "Oho? My, what an adorable looking card! And I'm sure that this one is the strongest of them all, right?"

Diona: "That's right! With this little beauty in hand... well, I haven't lost more than a couple of times at least!"

Y/N: "Mhm, that's quite impressive! Especially with how difficult the mechanics of this particular card game sound... I'm sure having such a strong card isn't the only reason you've been winning so often though? You must have quite the strategy to back your prowess hm?"

Diona: "Uh-huh! You better believe it! I'm the best there is at the Cat's Tail. No doubt about it!"

Y/N: "Well, now it sounds like I have a good enough reason to pay that place a visit that doesn't concern the uh... 'booze' and all that bad stuff!"

Diona: "Ayup! I'll be looking forward to it! Oh! But don't you dare spend too much time there, okay? I'm a very busy person after all, so I can't spend all my time with you. Somebody's gotta destroy the wine industry after all!"

Y/N: "Haha! Yes, I suppose so! And I suppose I'll need to get myself a set of cards first anyways, and I'll need to learn the rules and how to play too... I wouldn't want you going too easy on me after all!"

Diona: "Oh? Well– uhm... I wouldn't mind giving you some of my old cards... if you want those dusty old things that is! I could teach you too! And at least then you might have something to do whilst you're stuck in here! But uhm... you'd need a large flat surface, like a table! Using the top of your bed just won't do!"

Y/N: "I guess you're right! Hmmm... maybe I'll ask Eula if she might be able to procure a tray or something like that for me, although I'd like to think I won't be bed-bound for too much longer... Ah, and speaking of which... how uhm– how is she doing— Eula, that is?"

Diona: "Eh? Why are you asking me that? Don't you see her every day anyways when she get's back from her Knight–stuff?"

Y/N: "... when you're stuck in just the one room, I feel like it'd be quite easy for someone like Eula to act in one way for the times she's in this room than how she acts elsewhere. And you work at a tavern, where loose lips are all too common. I'm sorry for asking, I guess I was just..."

Diona: "—Well, I guess I can tell you... you hate that disgusting booze just like me after all! But uhm... I suppose she's coming for drinks more often than she normally does. But that's about it, honest! She doesn't drink too much I suppose, just a couple tankards a night..."

Y/N: "I... I see..."

Diona: "Oh! But I make sure to talk to her lots and lots when she's there! I promise! Just like you asked me that last time!"

Y/N: "Well, that's comforting to hear. Thank you Diona, that's very kind of you."

Diona: "Mhm! Oh! But I wasn't doing it for you of course! I was just being a good bartender is all! Hmph!"

The two of us had been going back and forth like this for a couple hours now, and this actually ended up becoming quite a common occurrence over the week, with Diona being one of the people who came to keep me company whilst I lay in bed and recovered from my... laying in bed for too long.

Diona had been mentioning this 'Genius Invokation TCG' quite a lot lately; with this game, which seemed to be a new trading card game that had been recently growing in popularity. Today being the day that she finally brought her collection of cards round for her to show off to me, and it really caught me off guard just how many cards had familiar faces on them: both from Liyue and Mondstadt...