It was now a while after Bennet's injury got taken care of,
As well as the group being told what a "sleepover" is,
Yet the group didn't leave the Cathedral right away...
...
After hearing of Bennet's experience with bandaging, he was soon stopped from leaving,
As the children begge..."Asked" him to teach them this "very important" skill...
*He didn't mind teaching them or even being their practice dummy, so he soon agreed,
And since Razor and Fischl already decided to spend the day with him, they stayed, as well...
...
"I am sorry that it took so much time. And thank you for staying with me, even though it took hours.
...I was so glad to be able to teach the children that I really lost track of time and now there's not that much time until sunset..."
Was what he told them both when he was finally done,
With the three of them finally leaving on a small adventure...
*One that although short and slightly weird, was still nice, all in all,
As they first saw the KoF's "training" and later just sat down and listened to nature...
...
...
Right after watching the sunset, they soon returned to Mondstadt,
Entered the city, bought some items and went to Bennet's home...
...
"Dad, I brought some friends home for a sleepover!",
He couldn't help but tell his dads as soon as he entered the Adventure guild,
Enthusiastic about the thought of having a "sleepover" with his friends...
*And this "pillow fight" that Klee talked about, which really sounded like fun...
...
And so, with his dads' help, they prepared a room for the sleepover,
With a bunch of pillows having been collected from all around the guild building,
Before long the friends trio starting a pillow fight, which while new to them all, turned out to be very enjoyable...
...
And then, somehow during their fight, for a mysterious reason...
-...U-uh, help...? I can't get out...-Bennet suddenly found himself buried in pillows, unable to get out or even move an inch. -...How did I get into this mess...?
He knew quite well how bad his luck could be, but this felt more like someone was making fun of him...
*Embarrassing him in such a weird way, having to be rescued from a pillow cave-in, of all things...
...
...
-...Evil pillows attack Bennet...Evil pillows not let him free…Must save friend...! -Razor mumbled in both seriousness and determination, as he summoned his claymore and took on a battle pose.
-Stop it, Razor! Don't destroy the pillows! -Fischl yelled out in panic, as she summoned her bow and stood between him and the "Pillow prison", a reaction which made him pause. -We are here to have a sleepover, not to have to clean the whole room from the numerous feathers! -She explained a little more calmly this time, thoroughly looking at any change in his expression, which has just shifted from confusion to understanding. -...We can free Bennet in another way. All we need to do is decide how.
She soon added, upon putting her bow back in her Vision's "Hammerspace",
As Razor was now looking thoughtfully between her and the "Pillow prison"...
-...Razor apology for rushing without thinking. Bennet invite to his home, I don't want to make mess. -He said moments later, "unsummoning" his claymore as well, as his expression soon shifted to dead serious. -...Fischl, help me save friend from evil pillows...Help me set him free…!
He added and soon both of them were deciding on a plan,
All the while Bennet was silently staying under the pillows, feeling weird...
*He heard his friends' small exchange and while still unable to move and feeling silly,
He couldn't help wondering whether his current "prediction" was truly that unfortunate or not...
...
At the same time, the two have realized that there was no need for any outlandish ideas,
As Fischl and Razor soon decided to simply dig Bennet out of the pillows,
Which took them some time and effort, but before long...
-I am finally free! Thank you both, Razor, Fischl! It's so nice to finally be able to move my limbs! -Bennet gratefully and enthusiastically said upon being let out of his "cage", before he slightly winched. -...Ugh, looks like both my arms and legs feel asleep and now it feels like I am being struck by pins and needles...
-Razor just help friend. -The Wolfboy reassuringly said, as he threw the last of the pillows into a pile, before his expression turned confused. -...You are struck by pins and needles...?
-It's not actual pins and needles, but a sensation of being stuck by them, called "Temporary paresthesia". -Fischl decided to explain, before Razor might get into another misunderstanding. -It should be over in a few minutes, based on how much Bennet moves his arms and legs.
She soon added, moving her gaze to said person,
Who, just as she noted, was currently moving his limbs back and forth...
-...So it's no actual pins and needles...I am glad to know. -Razor mumbled after a few seconds, as he turned to look at his friend's movements, too. -...This "sensation" that made friend hurt, I not know about it before...Thank you for teaching me new thing, Fischl.
-...It's called "Temporary paresthesia", but I suppose it would be hard for you to pronounce...-The other calmly corrected, before suddenly turning her head to the side, a small blush appearing on her face soon enough. -...A-and you don't need to thank me for the small lesson, it is of no trouble to me! I also wouldn't mind teaching you more things if you want...
She added in some embarrassment, still looking away,
As she was now also feeling a little embarrassed for another reason:
Having broken her usual "otherworldly princess" act for such a long amount of time...
*At first she did it so that Razor could understand her, but now...
...
Now it just felt right to use normal speech while talking to her friends...
*Could it be that after befriending them, she gradually came to open up to...?
-It already became so late! Just how long was I stuck in those pillows...?! -Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a shocked sounding Bennet, who had just started walking towards the door. -...I am going to bring us some snacks, so...-The door suddenly opened mid sentence, hitting him right in the face with a loud smack. -...Oh, my bad luck is still...Very active, it seems...
Was all he could say as he fell down on the floor from the sudden impact,
Both his butt and face hurting, with the latter getting redder and redder by the second...
*Give it to his bad luck to act up just when things started getting better...
...
Although now, he not only had his dads, but also two good friends,
With both Fischl and Razor already crouching before him and trying to help...
Venti was currently lying in bed, unable to fall asleep,
Which was really weird, since usually he could fall asleep really fast...
*So why, for the third night, did he suddenly have insomnia...?
...
Not like he even needed to sleep,
But still, it was indeed extremely weird...
*Usually, when he went to sleep at night...
...
...
-It's because Barbara is not here! -He couldn't help but soon yell out, the realization hitting him. -...I really miss our cuddles and that's why I can't fall asleep...
He sadly mumbled, as a pout and a small blush soon appeared on his face,
Both because he finally realized the reason for his insomnia...
...
And also because he felt embarrassed for reacting to her absence like this...
*To think that he would be acting like a needy child who...
...
...
He really missed their cuddles, no matter how much he tried to deny it,
As well as Barbara's warmth and her unique smell of Clear Springwater...
*The former actually being her LOVE and the latter her FAITH,
Both of these things making him feel even more attached to his Adorable Deaconess...
...
...
Venti soon decided to teleport to her side, to her temporary room in Dadaupa village,
And crouched by her bed, proceeding to gently pat her on the head...
-...This is probably going to bring some problems in the morning, this irrational decision of mine...-He couldn't help but mumble, as he soon stood up, teleported to the bed's other side and proceeded to lay near the sleeping Deaconess. -...But I truly missed our cuddles, Barbara...
He continued upon hugging her from behind and closing his eyes,
Before long, finally able to fall into a soundless sleep, unconsciously moving closer to the Deaconess...
...
...
This action soon making said Deaconess wake up in confusion,
As she, in her half asleep state, took some time to realize that she wasn't alone...
...
And when she did...
-...Who is...? This familiar smell...The cool feeling and...-Barbara couldn't help mumbling, her words soon stopping to a halt. -...Venti...?! But I thought that...! -She tried to turn her head around, only partly succeeding, yet still noticing the outline of his face and one of those unmistakable looking braids. -...Even from this angle, I can see that you must be having pleasant dreams...Did you really miss our cuddles this badly...?
She couldn't help but soon add, both in concern and also some embarrassment...
*She really didn't expect for him to suddenly teleport into her room and feel asleep hugging her,
Yet she wasn't against it, having missed this closeness too, so she let him sleep...
...
...
It was just the third night after she temporary moved to Dadaupa village,
And during that time, not only was she teaching them, she also got taught herself...
*About how it was okay for her to take things easy and let others do the work sometimes, they would figure it out,
All the while she would still be there when people needed her for a little more healing or advice...
...
She already heard similar words many times before,
But seeing as even her "students" were teaching her this...
...
Was she truly overworking herself so much...?
*But unlike her big sister, Jean...
...
How was her sister right now...?
Was she overworking herself again...?
...
Her sister was doing a lot better at preventing it than a year ago, after the Fatui attack,
And now she also had their mother, Grandmaster Varka and some others to help her with her work...
*Yet, Barbara couldn't help but worry that due to everything that happened recently, Jean might have...
...
No…!
...
At the moment it was peaceful and quiet in Mondstadt, so there was less work,
Besides that, her sister already knew what overworking could do to you and no longer took everything on herself...
*Big sister Jean was more open to asking others for help when she needed it and they would gladly help her out...
...
...
There was no need to worry about Jean,
Her older sister is going to be just fine...
Jean in fact, wasn't fine at all,
As she was tossing in her bed, unable to fall asleep...
*She couldn't help but wonder about her little sister,
Even though she got constant updates on her wellbeing from the Winds...
...
...
That was also how she found out Venti snuck out into her room and bed,
The Archon soon deciding to cuddle with her sister and...
...
And Jean couldn't help feeling jealous of Venti,
Even if she knew it was wrong, she couldn't help feeling jealous of her Archon...
*She couldn't help wishing that she and her sister were as close...
...
...
-...I understand why Venti did what he did and why Barbara didn't mind it, I really do...But this jealousy I feel, of my own Archon, no less...-Jean couldn't help but mumble aloud, sounding ashamed of herself, before she deeply sighed. -...And seeing how attached they became to one another, even if Barbara didn't "know" Venti for long...
She felt as if her jealousy intensified at the mere thought,
Even though she kept telling herself over and over that this was wrong...
*No matter how tired she might be at the moment, having such ugly thoughts,
As the Acting Grandmaster of the KoF, the descendant of the Gunnhildr clan, as well as the Lion of the South...
...
Just why was she reacting in such a childish way to the news...?
...
...
Both Barbara and Venti had many similarities between them:
The same level of cuteness and lovability, which just makes you want to protect them,
The passion for music that both of them shared, be it poems, instrument playing or singing,
And just being the lively and open people that they were, able to brighten the place just with their presence...
...
Jean couldn't help but wonder, if she and her little sister had more similarities,
Could the both of them have been as close as Barbara and Venti currently are...?
*If only she was more friendly and feminine, delicate and...
"You are fine as you currently are, Lion of the South Jean. It's due to circumstances of the past and misunderstanding in both your actions which led to the "separation". The way you are now is who Deaconess Barbara loves and sees as her big sister.", the Winds soon interrupted her thoughts, sounding dead serious, "Your jealousy is also understandable and in no way shameful. It's just a result of your deep love for your little sister.", they continued, in a more reassuring voice this time, before there was a short pause, "If you are still worried about Adorable Deaconess Barbara's wellbeing, we can promise you that Barbatos would be glad to teleport you to her if you only ask. We will be sure to send him your message, Caring Big Sister Jean."