Pegg Siblings
Amber has some free time in-between patrols, so she decides to visit the folks over at Favonius Cathedral.

Amber: "Hiya! Markus, Barbara! I've come by to visit again!"

Markus: "No way! Your choice is stupid, Barb! Mine is way better!"

Barbara: "Nuh uh! You're crazy! There's no way we're going with your choice! What's wrong with you?!"

Amber has arrived just in time to see Markus and Barbara quarreling... again.

Amber: "U-um, so... Sister Rosaria, what are they both arguing about this time?"

She asks Rosaria, one of the church's nuns, who happens to be nearby watching the two with a very unamused look on her face.

Rosaria: She sighs. "Honestly, what they're bickering about is unbelievably stupid... even for them."

Markus and Barbara notice Amber's presence, and both turn their attention to her.

Markus & Barbara: "Amber, you're just in time! What's a better pizza topping, Sunsettias or Jueyun Chilis?!" They both ask her in unison, surprising Amber.

Amber: "U-uh... what? Sister Victoria, what's going on?"

Sister Victoria, one of the other nuns, steps forward to explain.

Victoria: "Well, you see, Sara over at Good Hunter is apparently experimenting with different toppings for her pizza. When they went over to have lunch earlier, she told them that if they help her come up with a good idea, she'll give them one with that topping on it for free..."

Amber: "W-wha?! No way, lucky!"

Barbara: "Yeah! And that's why we'll ask you again... Jueyun Chilis..."

Markus: "... or Sunsettias?"

Amber: "U-um... I'm sorry... but neither of those seem... very... uh..." Amber grows quiet when she notices the two of them glaring at her.

Markus: "Putting Jueyun Chilis on it is a stupid idea, right Amber? It'd make the pizza so spicy that you wouldn't even be able to taste it!"

Barbara: "That's not true! And even if it was, it'd be way better than adding Sunsettias! Making a pizza sweet is just... wrong, especially one as sweet as a Sunsettia!"

Markus: "Nonsense! Everything tastes better when you make it sweeter!"

Barbara: "No it doesn't, you... sweet-obsessed weirdo!"

Markus: "No, you're a weirdo! A... spicy-obsessed weirdo!"

Barbara: "Grr!"

Markus: "Grr!"

They both proceed to stand there, glaring and growling at each other angrily.

Amber: "Hey, that's enough you two! Stop fighting!"

Rosaria: "It looks like this could get messy... It's best you leave while you still can, Amber..." She groans, walking out of the cathedral herself.

Amber: "B-but... Markus is one thing, but it's strange to see Barbara so irritable..."

Markus & Barbara: "Hmph!"

They both turn away from each other and storm off in different directions.

Barbara: "I'm going to my room!"

Markus: "Me too!"

Barbara: "We share the same room, stupid!"

Markus: "Fine, I'm leaving to go on patrol then!"

Amber: "U-uh, but Markus, it's not time for our next patrol yet..."

Markus: "Then we'll start it early! Let's go, Amber!"

Amber sighs as she reluctantly leaves with the still fuming Markus. She walks through the city, waving nervously at the passersby who notice the Outriders. They see Markus's sour expression, and assume he had yet another quarrel with his younger sister, as that's far from unusual for the both of them. They smile and wave back at Amber sympathetically.

Amber: "C'mon Markus, you're not going to stay angry at Barbara all day, are you?"

Markus: "Why wouldn't I? She's obviously the one in the wrong here! Wanting to put something like that on a pizza... ridiculous!"

Amber: She sighs again. "Seriously... Once you've calmed down, you're going to feel really silly for getting so upset about something like this..."

Markus: "No, I won't! Things are different this time!"

Amber: "You always say that..."

Amber decides not to press things further, and chooses to wait for him to settle down on his own instead, like usual...

~~

About eight years ago...

Markus: "C'mon Barb, it's getting late, we need to head back home!"

Barbara: "B-but Big Bro, I want to stay and play a little more!"

Markus: "You know Mother will scold us if we're out playing for too long! Besides, you don't want to miss having dinner with Father and Big Sis, do you?"

Barbara: "O-okay..."

Barbara starts dashing back home, but ends up tripping and scraping her knee.

Barbara: "Uwaaaaah!"

Markus: "Ugh, seriously?! Jeez..."

Markus bends down and wraps a cloth around her scraped knee. Once he's done, he offers her a hand up, but she doesn't accept it.

Barbara: "Big Brother, my knee hurts, and I'm tired..." She whines, still sniffling. "Could you please carry me back home?"

Markus: He lets out a long groan. "Honestly..."

He reluctantly lets her climb on his back, and starts slowly walking back while carrying her.

Markus: "You know that I'm tired too, right? Man, why do I have to do this..."

Barbara: "Thanks, Big Bro!" She giggles happily, ignoring what he just said. "You're the best! I love you~!"

Markus: "Why do you only say things like that at times like this?!" He sighs. "Ugh, whatever. You know you're not going to be able to rely on me like this forever, right?"

~~

The next morning, Markus groggily wakes up, almost rolling off of his bed. Just like every morning, he wakes up to birds chirping and bells ringing, signaling the start of the day and for him to get ready for his morning patrol.

Markus: "W-what the... Why did I have to have a dream like that last night of all nights? After our fight yesterday..." He slowly gets out of bed and stretches. "It's been a long time since I thought about those days..."

--

A few hours later, Markus's morning patrol ends with him near Mondstadt's main entrance, so he decides to take a break and stop by Good Hunter for some early lunch.

"Oh, hello, Markus." Sara greets him while she is in the middle of preparing some food. "You already done with your patrol? Where's Amber?"

Markus: "Amber's out patrolling further north today, while I was asked to patrol closer to the city. I don't know if you've heard, but there were a couple of Treasure Hoarders setting up camps near the city gates, trying to rob visitors." He responds, taking a seat with a tired sigh.

Sara: "What?! What a gutsy thing for them to try and do so close to the city!"

Markus: "I know, right? Obviously, the knights put an end to their 'shenanigans' pretty quickly." He sighs again, shaking his head. "I was tasked with patrolling around the outside of the city's walls today, to make sure there weren't anymore around."

Sara: "Is that so? Well, how about I reward our hardworking Outrider with this large glass of Sunsettia juice? On me today!"

Markus: "W-what?! But it was the knights who did all of the work! I didn't even end up finding any Treasure Hoarders on my patrol...!"

Sara: "Then that just means you've helped confirm that our city is safe. That's definitely valuable information wouldn't you think? That we have all thanks to you."

Markus: "I-I suppose..."

Sara: "Besides, I probably make more Mora selling Sunsettia Juice to you than anyone else in the city! I make sure to have so much prepared because I know you'll always be back to buy some. So I'm thankful to you for that, too!"

Markus gives in and accepts the free drink. He's almost gone through the whole glass before he says,

Markus: "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but I feel like you've almost been too generous to me lately..."

Sara: "Hm? Oh, you mean what we discussed about the free pizza yesterday? Have you and your sister come up with any good ideas?"

Markus: He groans at the thought of his quarrel with Barbara the day before. "Uh, well, about that..."

Suddenly, he notices someone approaching from up the street... It's Sister Victoria, practically sprinting, her expression unusually tense.

Victoria: "S-Sir Markus, thank goodness you've already returned!" She says to him as she gasps for breath.

Markus: "S-Sister Victoria?!" He exclaims, clearly shocked to see her before him in such a manner of urgency.

Sara: "It's not often I see you at Good Hunter. I'm assuming you're not also here to grab lunch?" She adds, obviously just as surprised as Markus is.

Victoria: "You just came back from your patrol around the city gates, did you not? Would you have happened to run into Sister Barbara while you were out?"

Markus: "Huh, Barb?" He raises an eyebrow in confusion at the sudden mention of his younger sister. "Um, no? Why, did you send her out on an errand?"

Victoria: "Yes, I asked her to collect some medicinal herbs a few hours ago, but she has yet to return..."

Before she has time to explain anything further, Markus immediately gets up from his seat and gathers up his things.

Markus: "Where did you send her to?!"

Victoria: "The woods in Wolvendom..."

Markus: "Alright. I'll head out to look for her."

Sara: "Huh? But you just got back! And didn't you want something to eat?"

Markus: "Sorry, but I can't afford to waste any time. Lunch will have to wait..."

Sara: "I know you're worried about your sister Markus, but she's been to Wolvendom plenty of times to gather herbs before, right? And she has her own Vision, so she should be able to handle a bit of danger."

Markus: "It's not like Barbara to be gone for this long without saying anything first. Something might've happened to her. I need to make sure she's okay..."

Victoria nods in agreement, and Sara sighs.

Sara: "Okay, I understand. Here, I've got some Fisherman's Toast you can take to go. Who knows how long it'll before you find her, and the last thing we want is for you to collapse from hunger during your search. And take the rest of your Sunsettia Juice with you too, of course."

Markus: "... Thank you, Sara."

He reluctantly takes what Sara offers him before hurrying off to look for Barbara.

--

"Barbara-sama! Barbara-sama!"

Barbara: "Oh, come on! Please go away...!" She says to herself quietly, while huddled up near a tree, attempting to hide from the hollering man.

"Barbara-sama!"

Barbara: "But... this is what I get, isn't it? For doing something so selfish... I'm going to get in so much trouble for being gone for so long..."

Suddenly, she hears some rustling coming from the bushes in front of her.

Barbara: "E-eek! Is that... a wolf?!"

Markus: "No, it's just me." He utters as he emerges from the bushes.

Barbara: "A-aah, it's Markus! T-that's even worse!"

Markus: "Excuse me, how am I worse than a wolf?!"

Barbara looks away from him, hiding her face.

Markus: "What happened, Barb? I was looking all over for you!"

Barbara: "H-huh? You were? Why?"

Markus: "After I got back from my patrol, Sister Victoria came to me in a panic, and was really worried because you were out for so long."

Barbara: "O-oh no, I... really screwed up..." She bites her lip, clearly feeling really guilty about something.

"Barbara-sama! Barbara-sama!"

Markus: "Oh geez, is that Albert? Again?! That guy, I swear...!" He exclaims angrily.

Barbara: "Y-yeah, he's been at it for a while..."

Markus: "Hold on, I'll take care of this..."

Using the power of his Vision, Markus gathers up a lot of wind near his mouth, and makes a loud, howl-like sound.

Albert: "A-aaah, is that a wolf?! I'd better get out of here!" Scared by the noise, he immediately flees in terror.

Markus: "There, that takes care of him." He smirks, placing his hands on his hips triumphantly.

Barbara: "U-um, what was that, Bro?!" She asks him, also quite startled by what he just did.

Markus: "Oh, that? It's a... 'special technique' I came up with, with Razor's and Klee's help, to scare away some people that were hunting too many wolves and other animals around here..."

Barbara: "Just... what kind of stuff do you get up to when you're with those two...?" She utters in bewilderment.

Markus: "Never mind that. Has Albert been chasing you around this whole time? Is that why you've been gone for so long?!" He balls up his fist angrily at the thought. "I've had enough of him, I'm going to report him to the cathedral... no, the Knights of Favoni-..."

Barbara: "W-wait!" She interrupts him suddenly. "T-that's actually not...! U-um..."

She looks away from him, her face riddled with guilt again. Markus plops down in front of her, trying to look her in the eye.

Markus: "What happened? What are you not telling me?"

Barbara: "I... don't want to tell you..."

Markus: He glares at her, beginning to get a bit annoyed. "Tell me. Now."

Barbara: "B-but... you're going to... be really mad at me..."

Markus: "Tell. Me. Now."

Barbara: "O-oh jeez, fine!" She sighs in defeat. "W-well... this morning, right after you left, Sister Victoria asked me to come here to collect some herbs..."

Markus: "Yeah, I know. She already told me earlier."

Barbara: "A-and, well... I just thought... Since I was out here..."

Barbara pauses, biting her lip again.

Markus: "And?"

Barbara: "... W-well, I decided... to take a nap."

She stops talking, as if her explanation is over. Markus raises an eyebrow in confusion.

Markus: "A... nap."

Barbara: "Yes... a nap."

Markus: "The reason why you were gone for so long, without telling anyone, was... because you took a nap."

Barbara: "Y-yes..."

Markus: "... What?"

Barbara: She sighs. "Do you remember when I first decided to train to become an idol? We had a big fight about it... You told me that it'd be too much work for me, and that I had a lot on my plate already, but... I went ahead and did it anyway, despite your protests..."

Markus: "Um... okay? What does that have to do with anything?"

Barbara: "Well, I never wanted to admit it, but... I've been really stressed out and tired lately... All the work I've had to do, including my work as an idol, is definitely to blame for that..."

Markus: "..."

Barbara: "Even though I love my work as an idol, I... Maybe you were right Markus, maybe I shouldn't have..."

Before she can finish, Markus suddenly gets back up and looks down at her sternly.

Markus: "... Okay."

Barbara: "H-huh?!"

Markus: "What kind of herbs did Sister Victoria ask you to gather here today?"

Barbara: "W-what?"

Markus: "Don't 'huh' and 'what' me. Answer the question, we don't have all day. She'll definitely be cross with us if we come back with nothing, right?"

Barbara: "B-but wait!" Barbara gets up herself, confused by his current behavior. "I was the one who was asked to collect herbs, not you! So it's my responsibility! You still have some patrols to do, don't you?"

Markus: "You said you were tired right? And it's getting late; there's no way I'm leaving you to finish this by yourself. Besides, I already came all the way out here to look for you, so I might as well stay and help."

Barbara: "B-but..."

Markus: "But nothing. Let's go."

Markus turns around, heading deeper into the woods. Barbara reluctantly follows behind him.

Barbara: "I don't get it, he's being surprisingly... nice? But why?" She thinks to herself. "I thought he would be angry with me for sure... Especially after that argument we had yesterday..."

Markus: "So, medicinal herbs were all you were asked to gather, right?"

Barbara: "Um, and some Wolfhook berries, too."

Markus: "Wolfhooks? Why?"

Barbara: "Well, more specifically, it's the red ones I need. They can be used for medicinal properties, too."

Markus: "Red Wolfhooks, huh? Those aren't exactly common, even around here..."

Barbara: "U-uh, you don't need to help me look for them if it's too much trouble, Bro. I..."

Markus: "No, it's fine. I know a good spot not that far from here where we should be able to find a decent amount of them."

Barbara: "R-really?"

Markus: "Yeah, I had to gather a whole bunch before to help Diona with... one of her 'special concoctions'."

Barbara: "Oh?"

Markus: "Well, Razor is the one who showed me the gathering spot, so it's not like I can take credit for it."

Barbara: "R-right, that does make sense. He does live around here, after all..."

Markus: "Yeah... Ah, careful of that log over there." He quickly points to one by her feet without thinking. "Wait, what am I saying? You're not Bennett, never mind..."

Barbara: "Did Bennett trip on one of these?"

Markus: "Yep. He plopped head first into the ground, almost splitting his head open..."

Barbara: "O-oh dear...!" She winces.

Markus: "Heheh..." He laughs nervously. "Don't worry, I'm exaggerating... mostly. I was able to patch him up just fine, and he only tripped because he was spooked by one of Klee's bombs, so you shouldn't have to worry about stumbling over a log like him..."

Barbara: "... Wow. You're... amazing, Bro..."

Markus: "Am I?" He raises an eyebrow. "You've patched Bennett up plenty of times yourself, no doubt more than I have, and you're better at healing than me, too."

Barbara: "N-no, I mean... There sure are a lot of people that rely on you for help, Markus. I-I'm kind of jealous..."

Markus: "Hm? What do you mean? That's a weird thing for you of all people to be saying, isn't it, 'Miss Idol'?"

Barbara: "H-huh?" She says uneasily, not knowing if Markus is teasing her or not.

Markus: "Anyway, we're getting close to the spot, Barb."

Markus leads Barbara over to a fallen log, where they find a bunch of Wolfhooks growing inside and around it, including some red ones.

Markus: "Hm... There aren't as many red ones here as I expected... Bummer..."

Barbara: "No, this is great, thank you Markus! I didn't know about this spot!" She says to him, feeling a lot more cheerful. "This will help me a lot when I need to pick more of these later."

Markus: "Don't mention it. This is the best spot I know of though, but there are some other places where we could grab a few more, if we need to... though they're a bit out of the way to get to compared to the ones here."

Barbara: "That's okay, this should be good enough. Thanks, Bro." She breathes a tired sigh of relief. "Now I don't have to worry about getting scolded for not bringing these back..."

Markus: "We should be able to gather the other medicinal herbs you need on the way back, right? Let's go."

Barbara: "Y-yeah, okay."

Barbara starts to feel a lot better once they begin walking back, though she's still a bit confused as to why her brother is being so nice and understanding to her at the moment.

Barbara: "Bro has been so kind and helpful to me today... I feel awful for fighting with him over such a stupid thing yesterday..." She thinks to herself.

While they're walking, she notices some nice-looking Sweet Flowers growing nearby.

Barbara: "Oh! Maybe I could pick those and make him a sweet drink as thanks!" She thinks again as she happily dashes over to the Sweet Flowers.

Markus: "B-Barb?! What are you doing?!"

Barbara: "Oh, sorry, just give me a second to pick these, Markus..."

Markus: "N-no, Barb, those are...!" He exclaims as he rushes over to her in a panic, as a Pyro Whopperflower suddenly pops out of the ground in the spot where the Sweet Flowers were.

Barbara: "E-eek!" She yelps in surprise as she tries to jump away from the hostile monster.

Markus quickly takes out his bow, and charges an arrow with Anemo energy. He fires it and sends the Whopperflower flying into a nearby stream with a strong gust of wind.

Markus: "Hurry, let's get out of here!" He grabs her hand and they run away from the stunned monster as fast as they can.

They both leave the woods in a hurry and end up atop a hill north of Dawn Winery, where they finally stop to rest and catch their breath.

Markus: "P-phew... Jeez, we managed to get away, but now we're farther from home than before..."

Barbara: "S-sorry, Bro..."

Markus: "What were you thinking?!" He snaps in annoyance. "You leave to pick herbs almost every week, surely you should be able to tell a disguised Whopperflower from a normal Sweet Flower by now, right? Why were you even trying to pick those, anyway?!"

Barbara: "I-I'm sorry..." She says again, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Noticing how upset Barbara is, Markus calms down and places a hand gently on her shoulder.

Markus: "N-no, I'm... sorry for yelling at you. You said you were tired, right? And you must be even more exhausted after running all the way here..."

He glances behind him, realizing where they ended up.

Markus: "Oh, I just noticed how close we are to Dawn Winery..."

Barbara: "Y-yeah..."

Markus: "Ugh, I still remember we went there to try that 'Chili Drink'. I misunderstood and thought it was supposed to be 'chilly'... y'know, cold, and almost burnt my tongue off..."

Barbara: "I remember that. You got so upset, and called it a 'liquid abomination'."

She begins to giggle at the memory, but quickly stifles them and turns away, frowning.

Markus: "I heard they're supposed to have an even spicier version of that drink now..."

Barbara: "Yes, that's right. The 'Super Chili Drink'."

Markus: He groans. "That's such an unoriginal name... And wasn't the first one spicy enough?!"

Barbara looks at the ground, not saying anything, clearly not in the mood to quarrel with him like usual.

Markus: "... Hey, before we head back, do you want to head down there to try it?"

Barbara: "H-huh?!" Her eyes widen, taken aback by his suggestion. "A-are you serious?!"

Markus: "Of course I am. You're enough of a weirdo to... e-er..." He clears his throat slightly. "... Someone that likes spicy things enough to be interested in that sort of thing, right?"

Barbara: "I-I am, but... You're not fond of Dawn Winery in general, I thought... And..."

Markus: "We're close-by anyway, so we might as well make the most of things." He sighs, slowly getting up. "I don't mind going with you to get it if you want."

Barbara: "..."

Markus: "C'mon, let's go."

--

Once they eventually reach Dawn Winery, they notice that there are a lot of people gathered there, apparently with the same idea as them.

Markus: "Hey Barb, go ahead and sit at one of those tables to rest. I'll stay in line to buy the drink for you."

Barbara: "H-huh?! No, that's okay, I can..."

Markus: "I can tell you're trying really hard to hide how exhausted you are, and you're not doing a very good job. I'm not stupid." He cuts her off sternly. "Go sit over there. This shouldn't take too long."

Barbara has neither the energy nor motivation to argue with him about this further, so she reluctantly finds a vacant outdoor table and plops down on one of the chairs. She lets out a heavy sigh, once again not in a good mood after the incident with the Whopperflower that she accidentally caused. As she tries to silently sit there and reflect on the day's events, three people suddenly approach her table.

Random Barbara's Fan Club Dude: "No way, it's Barbara-sama!"

Random Lady: "Barbara's here!? Ohmigosh, I'm so glad I decided to stop by Dawn Winery today!"

Random Mustachioed Man: "Oh, how fortunate am I to have encountered the one and only Barbara on this fine day!"

Barbara: "U-uh...! Erm..." She stammers, not expecting the three of them to approach her while she's resting.

Barbara quickly realizes they are fans of hers, but with her bitter mood and how tired she is, she can't quite bring herself to feel happy to have grabbed their attention like this. She shifts in her seat uneasily, not knowing what to say to them.

Fan Club Dude: "Barbara-sama! I am one of your biggest fans, second only to our leader!"

Lady: "Could I have your autograph?! Oh, please!"

Man: "May you trouble us with a song on this fine day~?"

Barbara: "U-u-um... I...!"

Markus: "Hey, I got the drinks. Sorry I took so long, Barb; that was quite the line." He states, returning with two spicy drinks, which he places on the table near Barbara. He obviously notices the three people that had approached her table, and glares at them in annoyance. "Barbara's taking a break from her duties right now, and is too exhausted to humor any of you. Get lost."

Man: "P-pardon?! How rude! Who are you?!"

Fan Club Dude: "W-wait, could it be...! Are you... her boyfriend!? Are you two on a date right now?!"

Markus: "Uh, what? No?! Ew?!" He responds, practically gagging at the thought.

Lady: "Hold on, no, I know who you are! You're Outrider Markus, right? Barbara's older brother!"

The man's anger from Markus's interruption lessens as he realizes who he is.

Man: "O-oh, is that so? My apologies, Sir Markus."

The "fan club dude" on the other hand has become far from calm, his face paling in panic.

Fan Club Dude: "A-ack, Barbara-sama's brother!? As in, the infamous 'guard dog' of the cathedral?! The one that prevents even our club leader from approaching the church, to bear witness to Barbara-sama's glory outside of her idol shows?" He backs away a bit, shivering in fear. "It wasn't just a myth?!"

Markus: "What kind of weird 'myths' are being spread around about me these days...?"

Fan Club Dude: "My bad for not realizing who you were, Markus-sama... No, big bro!"

Markus: "I don't care. And don't call me either of those things." Unlike the three of them, his irritation towards them hasn't lessened. "As I said before, leave Barb alone and GET LOST."

The three quickly get the hint and slowly walk away in disappointment.

Markus: "Seriously, the heck does 'sama' even mean? Ah, whatever..." He sighs, sitting down on a chair next to her. "Barb, I know you're really shy when it comes to things like that, but you really need to be able to handle..."

He stops himself, noticing how tired and down she is.

Markus: "... Never mind. Don't worry about it..."

They both sit there in silence for a bit, until Barbara notices that he got two drinks.

Barbara: "Wait, you got one for yourself, too?"

Markus: "Well, with the line being as long as it was, I figured it's probably pretty good after all, and I should give it a shot too, y'know? Maybe it actually isn't a liquid abomination after all..."

He grabs one of the drinks, and takes a big, hearty gulp out of it. And then he immediately proceeds to stick his tongue out in disgust.

Markus: "Ugggh! It's so gross! And spicy! Auuughhh!" He coughs in anguish, already regretting his decision to try the drink. "I should've known! That was..."

Barbara: "..."

Markus: "E-erm, I mean... I-it... wasn't so bad, I guess? Yeah? I..."

Barbara: "Why?!" She suddenly exclaims, startling Markus.

Markus: "H-huh?!"

Barbara: "Why are you being so... nice to me today? After our fight yesterday, and after what I said to you earlier... why are you not mad at me?!"

Markus: "What, do you want me to be mad at you?" He raises an eyebrow in confusion.

Barbara: "N-no... I mean, I don't know...? It's just, it doesn't make any sense..." She uneasily clutches her own drink, barely sipping from it. "You ended up having to interrupt your work to look for me, because I overworked myself, and got tired, and..."

Markus: "Because of your idol training, right? On top of the other work you already have to do?"

Barbara: "Y-yeah..." She exhales deeply, frowning. "You told me becoming an idol would be a mistake, and..."

Markus: "It was wrong for me to say that, I apologize."

Barbara: "W-what?! B-but... no, you..."

Markus: "You're not going to say that you actually agree that becoming an idol was a mistake after all this time, are you?" He says with a more serious tone and look in his eyes. "Do you remember what you told me your reason was for becoming one in the first place?"

Barbara: "I just... really want to help the people of Mondstadt... Help all of them smile. Before I became an idol, when I'd see people come to the cathedral for prayers, or for healing, I'd think... Is there something more I can do to make them all happier?"

Markus: "And then Miss Alice randomly told you about 'idols' one day, and... the rest is history, right?"

Barbara: "Yes! I've always loved singing, and being an idol has helped me bring a smile to everyone's faces even more than before~!"

Markus: "Yep. You haven't been one for long, but you've gained quite a good amount of 'fans' already." He rolls his eyes, remembering the people that approached Barbara earlier. "Maybe even too many..."

Barbara: "Y-yeah..." She says, beginning to feel happier.

Markus: "Honestly, I still don't get all this 'idol stuff' but... You love being one, right?"

Barbara: "Of course I do! B-but... It's also become so hard to balance my idol training with my other duties... Maybe becoming an idol was selfish of me..."

Markus: "I suppose even you're not immune to the 'Gunnhildr curse', huh..."

Barbara: "Um, what?"

Markus: "Kaeya joked with me once about how everyone from the Gunnhildr bloodline is 'cursed', because they work themselves way too hard, focusing so much time and energy working for the sake of Mond and its people that they barely give themselves enough time to relax or rest." He sighs. "And... maybe he was right. It's like that for Mother, for Big Sis, and u-uh... I've had a lot of people tell me that I work myself too hard as well. I suppose it's no different for you, Barb."

Barbara: "I-is that really true?"

Markus: "Yeah, I think so. Sometimes there's going to be days that you just don't have as much energy to work and help others as you want. And that's okay. I don't think it's impossible to work hard on your duties at the cathedral and your idol training... as long as you give yourself time to rest when you need it."

He gets up and faces her, a small smile on his face.

Markus: "I still remember when you used to be such a huge brat and were never able to do a single thing without Big Sis's or my help. But now... you've become capable of doing everything you set your mind to, and following your dreams. I've never wanted to admit this, but... I'm afraid that one day, someday soon even, you'll become so incredible that you might not think to rely on me for anything anymore... As your older brother, it makes me feel a little bitter but also ashamed to think something like this..."

Markus places a hand on her head comfortingly.

Markus: "I haven't been nearly as supportive of you as I should've been. I'm sorry, Barb. And... as your Big Bro, I'm really, really proud of you and all that you've done." He blushes, a bit embarrassed to have admitted all of that.

Barbara looks up at him, and begins to cry.

Barbara: "Uwaaaaah!"

Markus: "W-whoa!" He jumps back, surprised by her sudden wailing. "Wow, you really must be super tired, huh? Alright, let's take these drinks to go and head back, then. You're not working for the rest of the day, got it? If anyone at the cathedral says otherwise... Well, I'll give them a stern talking to for you. Leave it to me."

Markus offers her a hand up, but she doesn't accept it.

Barbara: "Big Bro, I'm really tired..." She whines, still sniffling. "Could you... please carry me back home?"

Markus: "H-huh, seriously?! Jeez..." He shakes his head, not being able to help himself from smirking. "I'm pretty tired too, but... Oh well, whatever."

He reluctantly crouches down to let her climb on his back, before beginning his walk away from Dawn Winery and towards their home.

Barbara: "Thanks, Big Bro." She smiles happily, hugging him. "You're the best! I love you~!"

Markus: "Honestly... I feel silly for even worrying about anything..." He chuckles a bit, shaking his head. "At this rate, you'll need me to look out for you for the rest of your life."

Barbara: "Yeah... you're probably right." She admits, resting her head on his back.

--

Barbara wakes up, and slowly opens her eyes as she realizes they're already about halfway to Mondstadt.

Barbara: "O-oh, I fell asleep...?" She says groggily.

Markus: "It's fine, you can keep sleeping, if you want."

Barbara: "No, that's okay. H-have you seriously been carrying me this whole time, Bro?"

Markus: "Yeah, but it's fine. As an Outrider, I've walked around the areas of Mond all the time. I've even carried a couple people on my back before this. Like Bennett, and Klee, and Razor, and... Bennett..."

Barbara lets out a small giggle.

Markus: "Anyway, like I said, this is no big deal. Don't worry about it, and feel free to keep resting until we get back."

Barbara: "Actually, could we talk for a bit instead?"

Markus: "Sure, what is it?"

Barbara: "I just... wanted to apologize to you..."

Markus: "If it's about me having to go look for you, or carry you back, I already said..."

Barbara: "N-no, I mean... about yesterday..." She cuts him off nervously. "I'm sorry for arguing with you about such a stupid thing..."

Markus: "Oh, that? It's fine. If you want to tell Sara to make a Jueyun Chili pizza for us, then go ahead."

Barbara: "No way, you already decided to try that spicy drink! Y-you've already..."

Markus: "You mean the one that I barely even drank? That doesn't count." He cuts her off this time.

Barbara: "Yes, it does! So, we're getting your Sunsettia pizza!"

Markus: "No, we're getting the Jueyun Chili one!"

Barbara: "No, we're getting the Sunsettia one!"

Markus: "No, we're getting yours!"

Barbara: "No, we're getting yours!"

They pause, realizing that they're technically quarreling about the pizza again, and they both begin to laugh.

Barbara: "Why are we arguing about this again? This is so dumb!"

Markus: "Yeah, I know!"

Barbara: "Heheh... If only there was a way we could ask her to put both toppings on it... Like, half in half?"

Markus: He lights up at her idea. "I mean... She did say one topping, but if we asked her to do that, she probably wouldn't be against it..."

Barbara: "You think so?"

Markus: "Sure, why not? In fact, this should've been the idea we had in the first place."

Barbara: "Yeah, you're right. We're so stupid!"

Markus: "Heh, yeah, we are!"

They both continue to laugh as they make their way back home.

--

When they finally arrive back home, Markus explains to Sister Victoria what they talked about earlier, including giving Barbara time off for the remainder of the day to rest.

She not only agrees with him and allows this, but she even tells them that they have a "special surprise" waiting for them at Good Hunter, courtesy of Amber and Rosaria.

Amber: "Oh good, you two are back!" She waves to them happily as they arrive.

Amber is sitting at a table in the outdoor dining area, as is Rosaria, who's looking away from them.

Amber: "You know the pizza toppings you both were arguing about yesterday? Well, we decided to ask Sara if she could just put both of them on it, and she agreed!"

Barbara: "R-really? That's great! We were actually thinking about asking her for the same thing while on the way here."

Markus: "Honestly, if it's an idea even Amber could think of, then I guess we really are stupid..." He jokes.

Amber: "Heeey, what's that supposed to mean?" She pouts. "That being said, it was actually Sister Rosaria's idea, not mine."

Barbara: "Truly?! Goodness, what a... kind thing for you to do for us, Sister Rosaria..." She says in surprise.

Rosaria is still looking away from them, snickering a bit.

Markus: "I... have a bad feeling about this..."

Sara: "Pizza's ready, made to your request!" She happily brings out the pizza and sets it on the table. "Enjoy~!"

As Sara returns to the counter, the three of them eye the pizza in confusion. There are slices of Sunsettias and Jueyun Chilis all over the pizza... many on every slice.

Amber: "Wait, Rosaria, I thought we were going to have the toppings be split up half-and-half... This isn't..."

Rosaria: She turns around to look at the pizza, snickering even more. "No, this is exactly what I requested. She made it perfectly, props to her."

Barbara: "B-but... the toppings are all over the place! It's going to be so..."

Markus: "Gross? Yeah, I bet... Rosaria did this on purpose..."

Rosaria: "And you'd be right." She smirks. "I'm sick and tired of hearing the both of you quarreling about stupid things every morning, every afternoon, every night... Consider this your punishment."

Markus and Barbara grow silent, not knowing how to respond to that. Amber looks away nervously, not knowing what to say, either.

Rosaria: "Well? Sara worked hard to make this for you, so you'd both better eat every single slice. Dig in."

Markus and Barbara's faces grow pale, but they reluctantly sit down and eat the whole thing.

To the both of them, it was, unsurprisingly, the worst thing they'd ever tasted. In their words, it was an absolute "pizza abomination".

Chapter End