Mona's Frugal Filling

“Why must I always do this to myself?” Mona bemoaned as she slumped onto her writing desk. She wearily upended her coin purse next to her head and watched as just a handful of precious Mora clattered against her desk. The first week of the month was just barely departed, yet Mona was already broke.

Again.

The despondent hydrologist dropped her coin purse and cradled her head as her stomach rumbled noisily. She barely made any money every month since her only income came from a superfluous newspaper column on astrology, yet she STILL squandered her meager earnings on research materials the moment she had coins to spare!

It was ridiculous! Where was her sense of self-preservation? Her responsibility? Her foresight? Why could she never restrain herself when it came to purchasing supplies for her research? Why was it that she caused herself so much misery every single month?

Another terrible gurgle from her midriff made Mona whimper. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had been full… actually, yes she did. It had been after the Traveller’s magnificent and disastrous feast at Wangshu Inn. Every single dish had been mesmerizingly delicious, but the consequences of her indulgence had been devilish both to her waistline and her wallet (her bodysuit hadn’t been cheap to repair, but she couldn’t go around with ruined clothing).

Still, at this point, Mona would gladly accept torn clothing and a wider waist if it meant finally ending her perpetual self-caused hunger. Oh, why couldn’t that Traveller visit her more often? Or at least send her wondrous feasts as one should for their teacher? Even though she wasn’t actually the Traveller’s teacher in any regard, they had faked it for a while, so why not keep up the act? Where was the harm? Hmm?

Mona slid out of her seat and onto the floor, moaning dramatically. Oh, what was the use in ‘if only’s and ‘why couldn’t’s? Wishing for a better future solved nothing. She grimaced. She would have to use the usual methods to survive this month as well. Hoarding mushrooms, unabashedly trading conversation with Albedo and Klee for free meals, and keeping a constant watch on the market to scoop up low prices on products. Still, even with all of that, this month would be tighter than usual. She’d really left herself in a tight spot this time.

The research lab was silent save for the violent snarling of Mona’s empty stomach. She simply lay on the wooden floor, wondering if she could save calories by not moving for the rest of the day. She was tempted to do so, but she still needed to work on this week’s column and scour the market for any cheap morsels for tomorrow. Mona wanted to get up and get all that done - she really, truly did - but her belly felt so completely and utterly empty that it was difficult to find the motivation to even get up, let alone do anything productive.

The famished water witch rolled over onto her front in a vain attempt to muffle her roaring insides. Unfortunately, the wooden floor did little to block the sound. If anything, it was even louder now that pressure was being applied, reminding her body how dreadfully empty it was. By the stars, Mona just wanted this empty pit in her gut to go away!

Mona bit her lip. She was going to be forced to use that method to make it through the day, wasn’t she? It was a truly deplorable method, offering only temporary satisfaction while leaving Mona worn and weak after the effects wore off. But if that was what it took to trick her body into allowing her to function, then…

A weak wave of the hand summoned a small orb of water in front of Mona’s face. She used her command over water to accomplish any number of marvelous feats. She could read the future, see through deception, trap and destroy her foes… or, much to her pride’s dismay, she could use it for this.

Mona opened her mouth and directed the water in. It was pleasantly cool and crisp, but if anything, that just made Mona even more despondent. Her beautiful water magic being used to fool her own stomach into believing itself to be full… what a tragic use of her potential…

Ten small orbs, one after the other, found themselves filling Mona’s mouth. She let out a small sigh of defeat as the last one went down. The empty feeling was gone, as was the incessant gnawing of hunger. But it was only a short relief. She would need to continue filling her belly with water often to keep the discomfort at bay. This also meant that she would need to let processed water out frequently. Both actions were nuisances, but necessary ones.

Mona rolled back over and sat up. As she did, she could feel the water in her stomach slosh about. She was not opposed to the feeling (it was quite pleasant, really), but it was a constant reminder every time she moved about that she had once again failed to feed herself. In addition, it gave her a small potbelly that showed very prominently in her bodysuit. A very small belly, to be sure, but one that had inspired certain questions from rude children in the market more than once. Mona truly despised those children. Truly.

The waterlogged witch stood up. The water inside of her sloshed about wildly. She scowled down at herself. Her middle was a bit larger than usual after tricking her stomach. Had she made the water orbs larger than usual? She would certainly receive rude questions today. Yes, she would… she would… hmm…

Mona put a hand to her distended midriff. She gave it a small shake. Her stomach wobbled quite agreeably with the liquid inside splashing around pleasantly. The black-haired hydrologist bit her lip. She knew from past experience that her body possessed a surprising amount of elasticity… and heavens knew that Monda hadn’t felt hungry for quite some time after that elasticity had been thoroughly tested… and that said testing had felt… exceptionally good…

She snapped out of her delusions, shaking her head. Mona could not go to the market with such a gut as what she was considering making. She did not need rumors of her sudden ‘pregnancy’ going around the city. Besides, she would need to remove her bodysuit as well. There was no chance that Mona was going to cause another mass tearing. She didn’t have the funds left for another emergency repair.

Mona hurriedly scooped the few pitiful Mora she had back into her coin purse and slipped the purse somewhere safe before making for her front door. She would scour the market first. Then, if she was still… in the mood, as it were, THEN she could drown out her hunger through excessive means.

--------------------------------------------------------------

There was nothing. Of course there wasn’t. There were no surpluses at the moment and someone had already swept the shops of their overly ripe and cheap produce. Such was Mona’s fate for lounging about on her floor, she supposed. Still, that was a problem. Even if filling her stomach with water waylaid her hunger, it provided no actual nutrition, so she could only do it for so long before… starvation.

Though, speaking of water Mona was starting to feel peckish. She ducked into an alley and began to help herself. She started with two, but the feeling of the water audibly splashing into her bloated stomach… Mona couldn’t restrain herself, happily slurping down another two orbs as well.

The water witch calmly exited the alley, but her mind wasn’t very calm at all. She’d really overdone it on the water. Her belly was so obviously bloated now and it sloshed heavily with every step. There was no further reason to be at the market, so if she just quickly and calmly made her way home, she could hopefully avoid causing any shame to herself-

“Oh my, if it isn’t Mona. How are you today?”

Mona froze. The stars truly had it out for her today. She swallowed hard, sucked in her stomach (a surprisingly difficult feat), and turned around. “Albedo! What a… pleasure! Today has had its difficulties, but I am overcoming them with ease, naturally. I don’t often see you in the market. What has brought you here?”

The blonde man raised his hand, showing Mona a sunsettia. “I was about to have lunch with Klee at Jean’s request when she decided that she wanted a sunsettia. It was no trouble, so I came to get one.” He smiled politely at Mona. “Meeting like here is quite a fortuitous coincidence, though. It’s been a while since our last discussion, hasn’t it?”

It had been exactly nine days and two hours. It had been lunch the Cat’s Tail. Mona had only gotten to order a single dish, despite wanting more, since Klee accidentally blew up the table while showing off her latest pyrokinetics and cut the meal short. Mona nodded. “It has been, yes. We should meet up again soon. I’ve developed a few new theories that I’d welcome your input on.”

“If you have the time, would you like to discuss them now?” Albedo asked. “As I said, I was about to have lunch with Klee. She’s saving a table at Good Hunter now. I’ve also made her promise to leave ‘Jumpty Dumpty’ and all of her other toys at home, so we shouldn’t be interrupted early this time.”

Mona blinked. This was an unexpected stroke of fortune. “Of course I- Ahem. Well, since I don’t have anything else to do today, that sounds acceptable.”

Albedo nodded. He walked past Mona towards Good Hunter and she turned to follow. She slowly released her held breath, feeling her gut refilling her bodysuit as she did. She was already overly full from water, but this was a rare opportunity indeed. Albedo was an enigma who rarely appeared in town and even more rarely sought out Mona first. She absolutely could NOT let an opportunity like this pass her by! Both for her research and her stomach, this was a jackpot!

After a short walk (during which Mona’s wobbling belly attracted more than a few questioning glances), the two arrived at Good Hunter. It wasn’t difficult to pick out which table to sit at since that explosive child Klee was dressed in a vibrant red, as usual. As they approached, Mona made sure to suck her stomach in once again. The last thing she needed was Klee of all children asking why her ‘tummy was so big’.

The long-eared child quickly turned at the sound of footsteps. Her face lit up as Albedo handed her the sunsettia. “Yes! Albedo, you’re the best!” She was about to bite into the sumptuous-looking fruit when her eyes snapped back to Mona. “Mona! You’re here too!”

Mona gave a small wave. “Hello, Klee. Albedo and I crossed paths in the market and he invited me. If I’m intruding on your time with him, then I apologize.”

“No, no!” Klee assured her, her hands clutched tightly in excitement. “I always like seeing Mona! You and Albedo always say so many big words to each other that I don’t get, but it’s still lots of fun! And Albedo has lots of fun too! Right, Albedo?”

Albedo smiled warmly at Klee. “Yes, I do enjoy my talks with Mona. I feel that her wisdom, even as young as she may be, has managed to deepen my own understanding of the workings of the world.”

“And the same to you,” Mona said pridefully. While Mona sought her answers in the stars and Albedo sought his from the earth, both of them were seeking after the truth of the world, which made bouncing ideas off of each other quite fruitful. And Albedo was a respectable gentleman who always paid for Mona’s meals, which made every discussion worth it even if nothing was accomplished.

Mona and Albedo took their seats at the table and Albedo waved the waitress, Sara, over. He ordered a Cream Stew for himself and some Tea-Break Pancakes for Klee. Mona, meanwhile, ordered a Crispy Potatoe Shrimp Platter to start and a ‘Pile ‘Em Up’ as her main dish. While neither were her favorite dishes, one was just barely small enough to pass as an appetizer and the other was the largest, most filling dish Good Hunter offered. Also, one was fish and the other was meat. Both ingredients were far out of Mona’s budget, so this would be Mona’s last taste of either for the foreseeable future.

The two researchers began speaking while the food was prepared. Naturally, most of their words went over Klee’s head, but the young girl busied herself with her requested sunsettia. After that, she began fiddling with something that looked suspiciously like one of the bombs Albedo had said she couldn’t bring. Mona was worried that her meal might end before it even began again, but… the child was supposedly an ace with explosives, so she would certainly be more careful this time… right?

Finally, just as Mona was beginning to feel the first pangs of hunger once more, the food arrived. A small serving of fluffy pancakes for Klee, a modest bowl of rich-smelling stew for Albedo, and a modest plate of fried potato with shrimp and a large stack of pure meat slabs, potato wedges, and cheese for Mona herself. Everything was right with the world~.

As Mona picked up one of her coveted shrimp chips and swiftly devoured it, Albedo eyed the two dishes before her. “I’m always… impressed by your appetite, Mona. In all my time in Mondstadt, the only other being I’ve seen eat quite as you do is Paimon.”

Mona nearly choked on her shrimp. “E-Excuse me!? There must have been a better comparison you could have made than… than…” An image of the small, childlike fairy who spoke similarly to a child as well flashed in her mind. “THAT!”

Albedo chuckled. “Yes, I see your point. I apologize. It’s just that Paimon has an absurd appetite for her small size.” Albedo spooned up some of his stew but stopped before eating it. “Though, actually, I do recall a particularly strange encounter with Amber and Eula at the Angel’s Share. Eula ended up consuming quite a bit of alcohol and bar fare at Amber’s encouragement. That may have been due purely to the alcohol, though, so I wouldn’t say it would be a fair comparison either.”

Still steaming, Mona downed another few shrimpy potatoes. “Hmmph! I don’t know who this Eula person is but I’d sooner be compared to her than to Paimon! She calls herself a guide, but with how she acts, I’d hesitate to let her guide me out of a paper bag.”

“What’s wrong with Paimon?” Klee asked, still carefully putting her ‘totally not a bomb’ away in her bag. “I like Paimon! She’s the best!”

“W-Well… there’s nothing wrong with Paimon, per se…” Mona began hesitantly, “It’s just that… well, I’m a woman, as well as an intellectual scholar of the stars! To be compared to something- er, someone like Paimon is… not fair to either of us.”

Finding the wording to make her point while not upsetting the well-meaning child was difficult, but it had worked. Klee’s ears perked up and she replied, “Oh! It’s like when com-par-ing blowing up fish and blowing up hilichurls! They’re both super fun but also not the same, so it would be rude to blow up fish like hilichurls!”

“That’s right, Klee,” Albedo said, patting the child’s head. Mona blinked. Was it really right? Regardless, Albedo continued, “I was just making an inference I noticed but still ended up being rude. For that, I apologize, Mona.”

A slight heat rose up in Mona’s cheeks. She hastily filled her mouth with the last of the shrimp potatoes, gulped them down nearly whole, then looked away as she said, “W-Well, so long as you understand, it’s fine. And it is true that I have a… decent appetite. I would have just preferred it if you had put some more thought into your words, that’s all.”

“Noted,” Albedo responded calmly as he helped himself to more stew.

Mona grabbed her fork and knife and awkwardly began cutting into her stack of steaks. Dammit! She’d let her pride get the best of her and risked putting off her occasional free meal ticket- er, her research discussion partner! And beyond that, her large meals had been noticed! Even though she was being so sly! Dammit! She would need to be more conservative in the future, as well as take her own advice in watching her words…

The two adults ate in silence while Klee hummed happily to herself. Mona, as usual, at as quickly yet gracefully as she could so that she could finish at roughly the same time as Albedo to avoid drawing attention to herself. Usually, that was no problem since Mona was almost always famished, but it was proving to be quite the challenge today. Her stomach was already heavy with water, so the three sizable steaks of the ‘Pile ‘Em Up’ were proving to be quite demanding. She was beginning to feel ill, but she couldn’t waste food. She absolutely couldn’t!

Mona could feel her stomach’s growth as she ate thanks to the extra pressure from her bodysuit. Why was she so partial to this bodysuit anyways? Sure, it allowed for ease of movement and it made her look like a respectable hydrologist, but it also made eating any amount of food highly noticeable. Even now it was hugging tightly to her newest curve, stretching tight over her quietly gurgling belly.

Still, despite the many challenges, Mona was finally able to scrape the last mouthful of meat and cheese into her mouth. She swallowed the heavy chunk and sighed as she leaned back in her seat, her hands on her bulging stomach. She was quite thankful for the table being just high enough to obscure her gut from the others’ view. She wasn’t sure she could suck it in all the way anymore…

“Many thanks for the meal, Albedo,” Mona said hiding her fullness behind a polite smile.

Albedo nodded. “Of course. It’s the least I can do for exchanging with me your wisdom and more limited time. Though I’m afraid I must cut our discussion short today as well. Jean should be just about done organizing the operation, so it’s time for Klee to return for her briefing.”

Klee’s ears certainly perked up at that. “A briefing? Does that mean I can use Jumpty Dumpty without Jean getting mad at me?”

“You’ll need to ask her yourself, but if I had to make an educated guess… then yes, I believe you will.”

“Yay!” Klee giggled while leaping out of her chair. “Come on, Albedo, let’s go! I can’t wait to try out Jumpty Dumpty’s new features!”

Albedo chuckled to himself as he too stood up. He set a handful of Mora on the table, then looked at Mona. “Thank you again for your time and words, Mona. I hope to speak with you again soon.”

“And I as w-well,” Mona responded while barely suppressing a burp. She waved politely as the other two left, then sighed in relief and slouched in her seat. She was so absurdly full that it was an effort just to sit up in her chair properly, let alone look and act as if she’d just had a light tea. Stars above, how had she managed to eat so much of the Traveller’s food all that time ago? Her belly had easily had double the heft of her current one… yes, it had certainly had… quite the size… and weight… and… tightness… and… ah… uh… hmm…

Mona swallowed hard, sweat starting to wet her back. Ah. She needed to get back home. Immediately.

She took a deep breath, sucked her midriff in as much as she could, then heaved herself to her feet. She still had a small potbelly readily visible through her skintight bodysuit, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, she didn’t live too far away. She just had to make the short walk. That was it. That was it. Just… just a short walk.

Oh boy.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Mona pushed into her house, panting and red in the face. She’d lost the stamina needed to hold her gut in halfway home, but luckily, not many were in the alleyways of Monstadt this time of day, so she avoided most prying eyes.

More importantly, however, her heavy gut had caused quite a stir in Mona herself while walking. The water still inside her had been sloshing quite a lot, but the added food now made her belly wobble and *ga-LUNK* as well with each step. Such a description didn’t quite do justice to the amazing feeling of the contents of her belly shifting around, but with her desire-addled brain, it was the best she could do.

The waterlogged witch couldn't hold back anymore. She stumbled towards her bedroom, peeling off her bodysuit as she did. She was drenched in sweat underneath, especially her belly, which had been tightly compressed by the smooth material. As she entered her bedroom, she kicked the bodysuit away and crawled onto her bed on all fours.

With stars in her eyes and a drum in her chest, Mona shakily waved her hand in front of her face. An orb of water, easily double the size of the ones she had fed herself earlier that day, appeared in front of her. It wasn’t enough. In Mona’s greedy eyes, it wasn’t NEARLY enough. She waved again, adding a second orb to the size of the first. Then another. And another. Soon, there was a massive globe of water hovering above Mona, shimmering and sparkling in the light shining through her window. Now THAT was enough.

Mona was practically drooling as she opened her mouth. She directed a tendril of water from the orb to enter her mouth, then continued directing it until it had made its way all the way down her throat. Her already overly full gut groaned loudly at this sudden addition, but its complaints were quickly drowned out by yet more water.

It was nearly impossible for Mona to hold enough concentration on her summoned water to keep it from splashing down on top of her, but she had to do it. She NEEDED this. She WANTED this. Her head was filled with thoughts of how tight she already was and imaging how big she was going to get, but she still managed to keep the globe of water floating while directing a continuous torrent of water into herself. She would be impressed with herself if she wasn’t so worked up already.

The results of her efforts were immediately apparent. Her slick belly swelled rapidly under the pressure of the water, growing tighter with every passing second. From her position on her hands and knees, she could feel the weight of the water dangling down from her normally svelte figure, pulling at her slim frame heavily.

Mona’s eyes trembled in their sockets, her lids half-closed from pleasure. She could barely even feel the pain of her stomach’s cramps or the nausea from forcing so much down her unwilling throat. All she could feel was the ecstasy from being so immensely full, packed tight with far more substance than any reasonable person should consume.

Her arms and legs began to shake both from the effort of holding her growing body up and from how excited her entire being was. Her belly wobbled heavily as she shifted her weight, sending spasms of pleasure surging up and down Mona’s spine. She arched her back, fully appreciating the weight that was mounting inside of herself. Ah, this was bliss! Her water truly was as divine as the constellations themselves if it could cause these feelings within her!

Half of the globe was gone now, lost within the depths of Mona’s massive gut. As the water outside of her shrank it required less and less concentration to hold, but Mona also had less concentration to offer as the feelings within her belly were overwhelming her senses more and more. She needed to breathe, but the desire to cram yet more water into herself was far more important than the desire to fill her lungs with air. She just kept going and going, caring not for the state of her body.

Soon, Mona felt an unexpected sensation on the apex of her belly. She looked down at herself to see that her navel was brushing against the bedspread beneath her. The revelation nearly sent Mona into a spiral. How could she be so large? How could one woman contain so much? Her skin was inhumanly tight, feeling as if it might split at any moment. The weight in her middle was so much that her limbs felt as though they could give way if just one more ounce was added, but their burden was being eased as Mona’s belly began to press against her bed, relieving her body of the burden of supporting it.

The idea of a belly that stretched out as far as her arms was both unreal and insanely arousing in Mona’s mind. Even though her belly felt close to bursting, just as it had with the Traveller’s feast so long ago, she continued to guzzle her water as if it were the last water in Teyvat. Soon, her belly began to press against her arms and toned thighs, spreading to the sides since it was now being restricted in its downward path.

Oh, this was heaven, truly! Mona’s eyes rolled back in her head as her entire body trembled from the tension. She was more belly than body! She was more water and food than scholar! What was her research when compared to sensations such as this!? What was starvation when she could bring herself to the brink of paradise with just a drink!?

Oh! Her belly! It was rumbling, warning of disaster! But Mona didn’t care! She didn’t know how much water was left anymore, but she didn’t care! She would take it all! Every last drop! How big could she get, truly? How much more could she fit before bursting in a truly glamorous fashion? She was close! Her skin felt like it could stretch no more. Her arms and legs were being pushed apart, the firmly solid surface of her belly growing into them. Her stomach muscles were spasming in vain, no longer able to contract at all.

Ooooooh, this was it! Mona’s toes and fingers dug into the bedspread, preparing for the climax. She was at her limit! Her body couldn’t swell another inch! It was the end! Oh! OOOH! “AAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Huh? She was… moaning? Aloud? Her mouth was empty! Mona had done it! Her belly, though barely holding itself intact, was safe! The blimped-up woman moaned and groaned, stuck in place, her back and belly spasming with pain and pleasure from being pushed to her utmost limit.

Mona wanted to reach for herself, to fully release everything that was being built up, but her belly was in the way - in more ways than one. Even if she could properly reach, she was likely to burst for real if she put any excess weight on herself. She was being trapped by her own overtaxed belly! The very idea sent another violent wave of heat gushing throughout Mona’s body.

Oh stars, she needed a better position next time, as well as a predefined amount so that she didn’t risk exploding for real. And an assistant would be quite nice too. Perhaps Albedo would appreciate a hands-on experiment instead of their usual discussions. He didn’t seem opposed to her appetite, after all. Or maybe her student wouldn’t mind lending a hand once more. She had certainly seemed to enjoy rubbing her belly after the feast at Wangshu Inn. A little too much, perhaps… heheheheh…

=====================================================================

I really do love this dumb-ass broke witch~. So fun to write, so easy to think of scenarios for~. And that bodysuit is certainly a treat as well~. Ganyu is still my absolute bae, tho.

I'm thinking that I'm gonna pass on the last regular fic of the month from now on so that I have more time/energy for the exclusive fic. The next regular fic should be up on the 6th of next month, but I'll try and post a couple of short fics in the meantime. Besides that, the exclusive will be up in the last few days of the month.