Genshin Impact Infection AU

Chapter Two, Part Six

"Barbara, will Lord Barbatos forgive me," a follower cried, kneeling in front of the idol.

Barbara smiled, placing a gentle hand on the man's head, saying. "Of course He will. Lord Barbatos has watched over you, and has admired your trying hard. It is okay to make a mistake, so long as you pray for forgiveness and accept your wrongdoings."

"Oh, thank you, Barbara! I promise I won't let a single day go by without praying to Lord Barbatos for guidance!"

"Keep Barbatos in your heart, and He will keep you in His."

Barbara watched as the man left the church, seemingly in a hurry. The entire day, loads of followers came in, asking for advice and for a way to cool off any paranoia they may have. She's seen familiar faces, as well as those that hardly came by. Even the Traveler and Paimon stopped by earlier to ask how she was doing.

And the truth was, she was scared. In front of all the sisters and believers, she kept her positive attitude. She continued to bless sinners and sing to cheer people up. But deep inside, she felt like what she was doing wasn't enough. Which was a bad thing to admit as a sister, she knew, but shaking off the uneasy feeling was harder than singing a few words. Because she wasn't a Knight, she couldn't go inside the headquarters and ask what was going on. She hasn't seen her real sister since before the notice went out about a week ago. As always, Jean remained in her prayers, but now she prayed harder than ever before.

Currently, there was no one inside other than her fellow sisters. Due to the increase of followers, all sisters have been called in to help, but Barbara remained the most sought out due to her ability to cheer up everyone she comes across. After day after day of nonstop blessings and comforting, she was insanely tired. Going home and sleeping for a full day sounded like a blessing to her. Perhaps she could convince the girls for just one day off.

Making her way over, she noticed the sisters were formed in a group, besides Rosaria, who hid toward the back as usual. The girls straightened up and cleared their throats as Barbara approached, like soldiers preparing for their lieutenant's orders.

"There's no need to be so tense around me," said Barbara, the fatigue in her voice obvious. She couldn't wait to go home and sleep. "I'm on the same level as all of you."

The sisters looked among each other, each of them saddened or showing a hint of despair. As Barbara looked at them all, she noticed they were on the verge of fatigue as well. Droopy eyes, saggy shoulders, shuffling feet or hands to keep awake. Asking for a day off when all of them could use one as well seemed selfish of her to ask, so Barbara kept her mouth shut. While it wasn't the right thing to do, perhaps they could leave the church earlier everyday for their health. Lord Barbatos would understand... she hoped.

"I've been thinking," said Barbara, noticing all eyes focused on her. "We should leave the church earlier everyday. With all of the people coming in suddenly, it's dragging us down. If we keep going like this, soon we'll be too tired to greet each other." Murmurs began to pass around the group. "I know it seems absurd, but Barbatos would want us to take our rest. He fought for our freedom to live and for His believers to stay healthy. So long as we continue to pray to Him everyday, and keep going like we always have, everything will be back to normal before we know it."

"I agree," stated a sister. "I've messed up verses a couple times today because I'm sick from worrying about what's going to happen. We all need extra time to relax."

Agreements were passed around the group, and Barbara felt less tense as she watched their faces relax. She had forgotten one person, however.

"Rosaria, what do you think," she asked, turning to the recluse.

Spinning a dagger in hand, Rosaria looked at the group. Out of everyone there, she appeared the most energetic, albeit that didn't mean much. Although she was a sister, she struggled to remember Barbatos's name, participate in activities, and especially recite prayers and blessings. Her attire was also... not very comforting. The sisters have made their own rumors about her, avoiding her if possible, but Barbara took it upon herself to treat Rosaria as her equal. The woman really was nice, and she can understand why others feared her so much, but there really was no reason to. Rosaria has a different way of thinking, that's all.

Standing up, Rosaria said, "I think that's a great idea."

"Of course she does," mumbled a sister. Barbara shushed her.

Clearing her throat, Barbara exclaimed, "Alright, it's settled then, sisters. We'll all leave the church earlier so we can focus on ourselves. The church will remain open as always, in case anyone wants to come in for any late night prayers." Mumbles of agreements were passed around the group. "One last activity before we go for tonight. Just a group prayer to keep us safe in these trying times."

All together, the sisters formed a circle, held hands, and bent their heads to pray. Barbara began to recite passages, calling upon Lord Barbatos for his forgiveness and protection. Unknowing to the group, Rosaria silently slipped out, the light from the sun outside appearing on their faces for a split second. But Barbara knew. She always did.

BARBARA
Status: Healthy
Not immune
Sanity: 75%
A lot of people are seeking guidance at the church. While wandering around the city, she offers free prayers and blessings to the citizens. She hopes her big sister is okay.

ROSARIAStatus: Healthy
Not immune
Sanity: 80%
Having more time spent at the church proved to be a curse for her, but she is suspicious of what's going on. Seems like she'll have to keep her ears more open.