A Worm

In the depths of her soul, she felt it.

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It was a weakness, a vulnerability that she could not afford to expose. Rosaria was a warrior, after all, and warriors had no place for love on the battlefield.     

Despite her best efforts, Rosaria found herself unable to sleep that night.     

Her thoughts circled around Yomite, refusing to quiet down. She stared at the made-up stars, contemplating the man who had somehow managed to pierce the armor around her heart.     

As the hours passed, her fatigue grew, but sleep remained elusive.     

When the sun began to rise, painting the sky with shades of pink and orange, Rosaria finally decided to give up on sleep altogether. She climbed down from the rooftop, her limbs heavy and her eyes rimmed with dark circles, even darker than usual.     

She had spent the entire night wrestling with her newfound emotions, and it had taken a toll on her appearance.     

As she walked through the teapot dimension, she came across Yomite, who was already awake and seemingly unaffected by their conversation the night before. He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ah, Sister Rosaria. You look more deadly than ever this morning." he exclaimed, clearly amused by her disheveled state."     

Rosaria's gaze narrowed, her exhaustion making her even more irritable than usual. "Shut up, or I'll cut off your tongue and feed it to the teapot gremlin," she snapped, her voice sharp as a blade. "And don't call me Sister Rosaria, you creep,"     

Yomite chuckled, unfazed by her hostility. "My, my, someone's touchy today. That's my adorable servant Finch, her name is Tubby. We have no gremlins around here. Welp, I'm sorry if I'm the reason you couldn't sleep last night, but you have to admit, it's kind of funny. You look like you're ready to murder someone at any moment." he remarked, stretching out his arms and arching his back after a good night's sleep.     

Unbeknownst to him, he was indeed the cause of her sleeplessness, though not in the way he presumed. In truth, Rosaria's heart had been waging a silent war with her mind, emotions churning like a stormy sea.     

She cursed him silently, trying to maintain her icy composure. "Just because I didn't sleep well doesn't mean I'm in a murderous mood," she grumbled, "Don't flatter yourself. You're not the reason."     

Yomite's grin only widened at her response. "I'm not flattering myself, I'm just concerned about my fellow teapot dweller. But if you insist, I'll leave you alone."     

Rosaria rolled her eyes, "Fine. Just...stay out of my way, and don't bother me with your nonsense."     

Yomite raised his hands in surrender, "Can't even joke around with you, shame, shame."     

With that, he walked away, leaving Rosaria to wrestle with her conflicting emotions.     

She couldn't deny that Yomite had managed to find his way into her thoughts, and perhaps, even into her heart, like an inscent. A worm, more specifically.     

He had managed to weave his way through the tangled roots of her emotions, leaving behind a trail of confusion and vulnerability.     

Much like a worm persistently burrowing through the earth, Yomite had mirrored this determination in his pursuit of her heart, although unintentionally and without any genuine intent.     

Rosaria knew she couldn't ignore the worm-like feelings Yomite had inspired within her. She had to confront them, to understand their origin and determine whether they were beneficial or destructive.     

She would have to tread carefully, lest she allowed Yomite's worm-like persistence to consume her from the inside out. It was time for Rosaria to face the truth of her emotions, to acknowledge the worm's presence, and decide whether to nurture it, or to extinguish it before it could do any more damage to her way of thinking.     

Later that day, as Rosaria stood alone, deep in thought, Lisa approached her. With a serious expression, she spoke, "Rosaria, we're about to commence intense training with our party. We'll be venturing deeper into the spiral abyss, and once we embark, there's no turning back for quite some time."     

Rosaria looked at Lisa, her violet eyes unreadable. "And what does that have to do with me?"     

"Well, you have two options," Lisa continued. "You can either join our party, train with us, and confront whatever challenges await, or you'll have to leave the abyss now and return to Mondstadt."     

"..."     

Rosaria weighed her choices.     

On one hand, departing the abyss meant distancing herself from Barbara, whom she sought to protect, and Yomite, with the perplexing emotions she had been contending with.     

On the other hand, joining their party would give her the opportunity to perhaps grow stronger through the teachings of that insufferable witch, and maybe she would finally be able to defeat Yomite in a fight.     

After a moment of hesitation, Rosaria made her decision. "I'll join you," she said quietly. "But don't expect me to become buddy-buddy with the rest of you weirdos. Tough luck if that's what you want me to do."     

Lisa smiled gently. "That's fine, Rosaria dear. You don't have to change who you are."     

"Dont call me 'dear', you evil witch," Rosaria snapped, her face flushing with annoyance.     

Lisa merely chuckled, unfazed by the harsh response. "That I am. Very well, I won't call you 'dear,' but I hope you'll at least allow me to teach you what I know," she replied, her voice warm and inviting.     

Rosaria nodded, still wary but resigned to the fact that she had made her decision. "Fine. But only because I need to get stronger to wipe the floor with him."     

The rest of the party gathered around, eager to welcome their newest member.     

As Rosaria consented to join the party, Barbara emerged from around the corner, her eyes shimmering with anticipation. Unable to contain her elation, she rushed towards Rosaria, enveloping her in a heartfelt embrace.     

"Sister Rosaria! I'm so glad you decided to join us! We'll be spending more time together!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine happiness.     

Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Rosaria stiffened, unsure how to react. As much as she wanted to push Barbara away, a part of her couldn't deny the warmth and comfort she felt from the embrace.     

"I... I'm not doing this for you," Rosaria mumbled, barely audible. "I simply thought it would be...a valuable chance to grow stronger and beat that man."     

"Beat that man? Who are you talking about?"     

"No...no one..."     

Barbara pulled away from the hug, her smile unwavering. "Regardless of the reason, I'm grateful you're with us, Sister Rosaria. I know we'll face many challenges, but I have faith in you. You are more than amazing in my eyes!"     

Rosaria averted her eyes, trying to hide the emotions that threatened to surface. "Just...don't expect me to engage in your stupid team-building activities," she warned, her tone returning to its usual icy detachment.     

"No promises, Sister Rosaria!"