She counted the beats one by one in her head, waiting for the cue to start singing. Or at least she tried to.
Phrases, some she recognized and others she didn't, had appeared in her head instead of the lyrics to the song. She felt the words bounce around as if begging to be acknowledged.
Ok.
Mentally, she focused on those lines alone. And as she did, something powerful grew within her. Bravery, compassion, strength, everything a performer needed to give it their all on stage.
'The show will go on!'
That was true. As long as she continued to strive to perform, her show would never end and the curtains would never close.
'As an idol that mends hearts-'
A role model, something she strived to be for the people of not just Mondstadt, but of Teyvat.
'I will be the guiding pillar of hope!'
'La la la la! Shining Miracle♪!'
With the last line, Barbara felt the energy inside her stagnant as if right before the edge of a cliff. The drop before the beginning, the fade of the music, a signal to sing.
And so she did.
Opening her mouth and letting her body move with the flow, Barbara performed the song she knew by heart.
A couple seats away, Elizabeth and Nero were both taken aback. They had expected this girl to be good, but not THIS good. Something about the way she sang was both mesmerizing and uplifting. Although both of them did not recognize the song, they liked it instantly anyway.
"Psst, Nero! My rival! Hey!"
"Ah, yes. What is it Elizabeth?"
"She's really good isn't she?"
"Yup. I must concede, she performs as well as I, Umu, do!"
"Heh, no way! She's better than you! She performs as good as I do!"
"Hey-"
"Both of you shut it."
Tomoe had cut into their arguing and clamped a hand over both of their mouths.
"She's performing for you two and you still dare converse amongst yourselves! You're a shame to idols are whatever it is you call yourselves! Silence and enjoy!"
Watching the two servants nod vigorously, Tomoe huffed out a sigh before making her way back to Osakabehime.
"Say, Okki, she sounds pretty good right?"
"Yup. Way better than those two loud-mouthed brats over there. Let's take a break and listen for a while. She's only here temporarily anyway."
"Good idea. Afterwards, you must explain to me how that battle strategy of yours managed to win the game so quickly!"
"Sure, sure."
After a couple minutes, Barbara's performance ended. As the karaoke machine let out the last notes, Barbara stood panting in the center with the mic. She had always put her heart into her performances making each performance essentially a full-blown workout.
"Bravo! Bravo!"
Turning her head, she saw the shining faces of Nero and Elizabeth beaming back at her. When she turned the other way, Okki and Tomoe both gave her a thumbs up before turning back to their console.
Barbara smiled.
It filled her heart to know that her audience liked her singing.
"Well, would you look at that! This little newcomer here released her Noble Phantasm!"
"Eh??! I did?"
"Of course! The great me could feel you gathering together energy before you even started singing! Umu! Truly a great performance. I applaud! I applaud!"
So that's what that was, Barbara thought.
"Say, why don't we have another go?"
"Yes! We'll have a grand time for the rest of the day!"
"Ah, but....I-"
"No buts! Come on, Nero! Pick the next song!"
It would be another couple rounds before Barbara could finally inform her two friends that she was tired. Every time the mic was passed to her, she couldn't turn down their request of her singing. How could she when they kept on begging her to sing?
And when she turned to Tomoe and Okki for help, the two promptly pretended to not hear her. Perhaps they chose to ignore her because Barbara sang so well.
Who knows?
By the time Barbara finally managed to leave that room, it had been many hours and she was exhausted. Nursery and Jack had come around to check on her since they were getting a little worried after hearing continuous singing for a couple hours straight. Upon bumping into Barbara, both were surprised by the state she was in and basically carried her to the kitchen.
There, Emiya shook his head at the sight of the tired idol and made her some tea before letting her crash onto a couch he projected into the room.
Barbara would spend the last few hours in the kitchen before Jean found her there after her excursion with the knights.
Both were worn out from their own adventures, but happy to know that they had made some friends along the way.
Emiya kept their company(as well as making them some treats) for the rest of the day.
Of course, with geniuses like Da Vinci, Holmes, Tesla, and Edison in Chaldea, it would only take them a day to figure out how to set up a portal for the duo to go back home.
So the two managed to return home at around 11:00pm, taking some foreign treats from Emiya, a badge of honor from the Knights of the Round Table, and a souvenir in the form of a decorated microphone from Elizabeth and Nero.
Bidding their friends farewell, the two sisters traveled back to Mondstadt to find everyone there waiting for them as Da Vinci had sent out a message to Lumine a couple minutes before to inform her of the two sister's return.
The citizens as well as Kaeya and Venti wanted to hoist a drinking party, but that request was automatically turned down by both Lisa and Diluc when they noticed how tired the sisters were.
And thus ended the sisters' adventure into a world elsewhere.
.
..
...
....
Barbara(Summer)
Class: Berserker
-
Desc: Since she had wanted to go a summer trip, she changed into clothes befitting for it. Of course, what's a trip without friends? And family? Except her sister was the type to work from dawn to dusk and then some hours later. As a result, some sort of selfish desire of Barbara's arose. She just wanted to be a normal sibling pair with Jean who can go out on trips and shopping sprees and all the other things siblings do! Was that too much to ask? Of course, in her world, she managed to do just that with the help of an unnamed scholar and friends. But it just so happens that this Barbara has yet to achieve that goal.
And so, a different Barbara appeared...
-
Madness Enhancement(Sister) A:
Due to her want of a normal sibling relationship, you can say Barbara lost her mind in a way. If the Barbara before was a charming little idol who would smile sweetly at anyone, then this Barbara is a willfully determined fighter who will do anything to achieve her goal: spending a day with her sister as a normal sibling pair. Barbara hasn't lost her reason, she's only lost her reason(and barriers) as an idol.
-
Traveler B:
As someone from another universe and reality, she shouldn't exist in this world. Slightly separate classification from the foreigner's class skill.
(This skill is higher than Jean's due to Barbara undergoing a more drastic change than her."
-
Territory Creation D:
Something Barbara passively invokes. After becoming a Berserker, this skill has been ranked down by a bit.
-
The Overflowing Cup, Crater B:
Her corner of the starry sky that brightens as she gets stronger. Due to the vast, open sky on the beach that essentially strengthened her connection to the sky, this skill came into existence.
(Unlike Jean's, this is a passive skill.)
-
Shining Miracle♪:
Her original noble phantasm now transformed into a skill. As a result, it has lost some of its effects.
"The stage has changed so I must change too♪!"
-
Whisper of Water(Beach) C:
Focusing on the surrondings, Barbara is capable of drawing power from the waves of the sea itself. Consider it a mana burst, but, like, water-based instead of mana-based.
-
Shimmering Cobalt-Gold Tides♪!
Taking a fiercer stance, Barbara charges her way across the sands! To the current her, any enemy is an barrier between her and the goal she wants so badly. As such, she puts her full power into the attack and overwhelms the enemy in a tide of sand.
Somehow, despite her ability to draw upon water, Barbara's new recklessness causes that water to also stir up massive amounts of sand thus creating a tide of sand instead of a tide of water. Even Jean doesn't really get it.
It just so happens that one of the barriers between Barbara's dream for a sister-sister bond is Jean herself. Thus, Barbara actually deals more damage towards Jean. Strange huh?
-
Chant:
Did you expect this? I bet not!
My special summer performance is about to begin!
La~ la la la la~ la la!
Golden sands! Refreshing drinks! Azurian sea!
This is the perfect place for a summer exclusive stage! So!
Let me sing a summer song for you! Shimmering Cobalt-Gold Tides♪!
-
Extra: As her resolve is as unbreakable as the normal Barbara, it is advised for the Master to be careful when talking with Barbara(Summer). If Master so much as utters the words "work" and "endless" within several seconds of each other, Barbara will basically fly into a rage and assume Master to be a barrier between her and her goal similar to how Berserker of El Dorado will lose all reason at the word "beautiful".
This Barbara is also capable of controlling her energy output better which essentially makes her a better ally during battles...and also a worser foe. Both Nero(Summer) and Elizabeth(all Halloween vr.) like this one better than the original Barbara. However, Nero(Bride), Elizabeth herself, and Carmilla(both vr.) like the original Barbara better.
Jean doesn't really know how to take this new version of Barbara so she simply leaves her be and tries not to get involved with her....much to Barbara(Summer)'s dismay.