Where Geno gets into deeper details from Aldo's past and comes to gain a few lessons about life.

No one's POV:
-

Geno kept staring at the beaver as he poured for himself a mug of coffee, indifferent and chill. His eyesocket wide open from what had just happen. Since when could he talk?! Finally Aldo sat down facing the small skeleton and held the mug in his palms.

"Yes my tongue was cut off. Long ago." He spoke again, causing Geno to jump from his seat, again surprised he was hearing Aldo just talking in that low, almost 'whispery' voice.

"Then how the Heee-?!" Geno tried to ask, midway cutting his sentence. Aldo opened his mouth. The siren looked. The first time he had seen Aldo's mouth, the absence of tongue was visible. Now there was a yellowish one resting in there.

"Leandro decided not too long ago he was ready to start tolerating my voice. He called me and managed to stick in my mouth that thing. Just a few months ago he had started working on it he said. Made with whatever knows what and a little bit of magic here and there. But whatever, it's flexible. Though weird to have a tongue in my mouth after years. Still getting used to it." He said. Geno blinked surprised.

"Wow…"

"I suppose…" The beaver shrugged his shoulders. The 2 stayed silent for a few seconds before Geno spoke.

"Sooo… what is it that we're talking about?" He asked. Aldo exhaled from his nose quietly, collecting his thoughts.

"… I get that Leandro gives on your nerves. He does get on everyone's. And while it's not okay when he's like that, or when on specific days it is not safe at all to approach him, don't provoke or challenge him further." Geno groaned rolling his eyesocket.

"Seriously? Ya called me here to literally ask me to just let him step all over me and insult me in my face?!" Aldo exhaled quietly from his nose.

"You're right to be mad. But you haven't lived and haven't seen enough of this world to know how some certain things work. When one goes through tough times for the biggest part of their lives, it's not easy for them all later on to just, be cheerful you know? Most of us in this crew didn't join having a happy story to tell about ourselves."

"And yet most of ya pirates seem to be able act happy and excited. What is it the doctor supposedly went through to act so much more damn bitter?"

"Grief…" Aldo took a sip from his coffee and his eyes were suddenly filled with seriousness. "… stands on top of all states of mind. Grief can take a toll on us in many cases incurable. It's… poison. And it makes a monster far more sick than a human if not dealt properly. It changes it."

"Why are you suddenly talking to me about grief?" Geno asked. Aldo looked to his left as he clenched the mug in his hands.

"… He hasn't told me who and how. But I'm not mistaken when I believe he's heavily grieving." He said. The skeleton raised brow.

"Dogface? What is there he's grieving about? Nah, how do ya know he ain't just bein' an *sshole 24/7 'cause he was taught that way?"

"In the same way I realise and see you're still secretly grieving for someone you loved. Your family." Aldo said. Geno stared at him surprised. "Monsters show their grief through their eyes. No matter what they say, no matter how they act, the eyes always betray the emotional pain they go through. Your pupil doesn't glow intensively. Deep down in your soul, you're still trying to get over the deaths of your loved ones. Alter's too. He's grieving from what he has lost before joining the Reapers, especially his brothers. All Elementals show Grief through the fading color of their eyes."

"And did dogface tell ya he's grieving?" Geno asked slightly irritated.

"Animalistics and Phenomenals betray their grief when they have black eyes. I've seen it in many others'. And Leandro's eye… it is not meant to be black. The original should be silver colored, what also symbolizes the magic he possesses. Only rarely I've seen that color in his eye when he's somewhat in a good mood, only for it to quickly go back to black."

"Who is he even grieving for? He seems to be bitter about family, especially when he was insulting mine."

"Not his parents certainly. Leandro… he just told me his parents weren't so fond of him."

"Aaah, of course! And because they hated his guts he makes sure anyone else's family seems meaningless!"

"No. It's not because of being hated when a child. Trauma from an early age adds itself to the Grief, increasing and changing the behavior heavily. Yes he's still bitter about families, but isn't he about almost everything?"

"True." Geno said looking up to the ceiling. "But are you still certain he ain't bein' a jerk just because-?"

"Grief drives him to act as he does. I know it first hand… I was like him once. I've been on his shoes." Aldo said and the brown of his eyes suddenly darkened slightly. Geno's eyesocket perked up. "I had the eyes of Grief too, that's what we call it when a monster is grieving for loosing someone they were attached to. It hadn't been too long that I had joined the Reapers and I was still grieving, carrying the death of my wife, if you recall the priest telling you. And that the humans had burned her alive."

"Oh stars, yes I remember." Geno said and felt an ugly shiver running down his spine.

"You fall into Grief if you loose your dearest friends, your closest family, or your soulmate. Loosing her almost made me give up life. But she… was far more braver and stronger than me. She told me that if our rebellion failed, if she was getting caught and died, I had to keep going and stay alive if I could. Tolerate everything for the sake of our boy."

"You had a son too?!" Geno yelped. Aldo looked at him and hummed with a small smile.

"Since I've already started talking more about myself and you seem interested to listen, shall I say more?" Geno hesitated at first. Did he really want to listen more from Aldo? After giving it a thought he looked at him and nodded once. The beaver sipped from his coffee again and looked to his left, getting slowly lost in thought. "Once the 3 Aces had managed to gain power and support in Portugal, where it all began, their influence and ideas started reaching other lands. And while the humans found those ideas dangerous or threatening to ruin the balance and control they were trying to maintain over the monsters, our race in Portugal started gaining hope. They wanted to be involved in those plans, learn how to coexist better with the humans, but mainly, defend themselves from them, mostly the villages. This influence slowly found its way from Lisbon to Italia. The humans first heard of these ideas and found them dangerous, especially the ones in Venice. They feared that if the monsters heard about the 3 Aces and what they were supporting, the balance and control they were trying to keep over them would crumble. And so, they did everything in their power to prevent the monsters from hearing those ideas. With all their power they were trying to make the monsters in all Italia believe that they were helpless, nothing could help them and if they did as much as to talk back to their masters and not serve, boom! Death immediately."

"I suppose they didn't succeed."

"Indeed. Because Alvino Aster of Olissipo's Azores, like the bold madman he was, wanted to make sure that the influence of the Aces would reach other lands, find supporters. As it was revealed later with the Aces' fall, he had managed to inject influence to many monsters of Italia through a simple mission of pilgrimage in the year 1524. Together with Bernard Aristo, they took part in that mission that went to Italia disguising themselves as pilgrims. It was also said that Aster had managed to get away from the team of pilgrims secretly and with just a carriage dragged by a horse, managed to reach about 20 monster villages, reveal himself to them, teach the monsters the ways of the Aces, teach the monasteries first how to train with the way of the Asteras and ignite great courage and hope in their hearts and souls to fight for their freedom, while also telling them to try and reach even more monster villages and spread the ideas and influence of the Aces. Just 2 months after the pilgrimage, even the stones knew about the ideas of the Aces. And consequences were bound to follow."

"Darn it."

"The humans suspected that the monsters were taught ways to fight, especially when reports about secret fighters drowning the ambushes of the soldiers became too many. Also that they were taught some kind of diplomacy, as the monsters were being more observant if the humans were trying to wrong them or take more than it was agreed to take, as that was a deal for the monster villages to stay alive."

"Ah yes, Al mentioned somethin' about that kind of 'deal'."

"The humans became more aggressive towards the monster villages and finding the lamest excuses to kill monsters, even if they talked back. In all areas of Italia, the humans were taught to follow the same tactics of showing the monsters who's supposedly the boss. Around a year and a half after Aster awakened the monsters of Italia, the village I lived in faced the aggressiveness of the humans too. Even though it was one of the few villages that actually hesitated the most to follow the way of the Aces and tried to stay obedient to the humans, we were soon going to pay either way. I was a simple young cook, going about my day when suddenly without reason and without warning, human soldiers attacked and started destroying our houses. My fellow villagers were killed one after the other. And then one of the humans threw me on the ground. I saw his spear ready to impale my chest. But then I saw her. At that time then, I was just seeing a small white shade. But she jumped at the soldier and send him uncoscious with just a good and calculated flying kick. I watched in surprise as 3 more human soldiers circled her but then she held her fighting stick and defeated one after the other as if they were practice dummies."

"An Astera?!"

"In the flesh. Though Asteras are called like that in Portugal. The ones of Italia are called Stellars."

"Cool."

"When she was done with them and knocked them out, she looked all around. She took from around her neck a whistle and blew hard. Then she looked at me and took off her hood." Aldo took a melancholic expression as he smiled and seemed to daydream. "It was simply love at first sight for me seeing more clearly that sweet but determined face of that beaver woman looking down on me and helping me stand up. And then as she spoke to me, telling me that there was no reason for me to stay in this village and refuse to fight, as the humans would always find excuses to eliminate us. She offered me to come with her and the survivors of my village to be safe and hidden. Slowly more white figures circled us, more Stellars. They all looked at her and to my surprise started referring to her as their leader as they reported her how many survivors they found. So many tall Stellars, many of them Elementals and Phenomenals and yet they were looking at the beaver woman respectfully, waiting one single word from her to grant it."

"For an Animalistic monster to be the head of Stellars, she must have been hella strong."

"Marina Loretta Steica was indeed one of the strongest and most skillful Stellars of her time. She was determined, brave, resourceful, headstrong, extremely strict, with a strong dislike for cowards, whether human, whether monster ones. And the one my soul had chosen to get attached to. But at that time, there was no space for lovey dovey matters. She looked at us the survivors and she lectured us for seriously believing that the humans would leave us alone, proof the destroyed village. She told us that we could stay in the destroyed village and eventually die, or follow her back to one of the secret camps they had for Stellars and train for the higher purpose to defend the monsters of Italia, support our freedom and at least die fighters rather than cowards, if we did die. And that if we did as much as to betray the Stellars, she wouldn't hesitate to show us real reasons to fear her more than the humans."

"Sheesh! She wasn't joking!"

"There was nothing to joke about with the humans treating us so bad. Even though a few of us survivors hesitated with her tone, while I had felt a coward my whole life, suddenly being with Marina felt for me as a light I so wanted to grasp and stay close to. I was from the first ones to approach her and declare loyalty to the purpose of the Stellars and her. And so, my journey as a Stellar had began." Geno flinched.

"You're-!" Aldo nodded smiling.

"And I don't care much what you will do with that information. I'm planning anyways one of these days to come out clean. Mostly to be supportive to the priest." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Stellars had different ideas about who would really become ones. Asteras chose to make the monks, as the humans would suspect the least the ones who were following their religion. Jokes on them by the way. Stellars started off as monks but was decided that any monster could be one, not just the religious ones. But to be honest, I think we trained way harder than the ones in Olissipo or Hispania."

"The influence reached Hispania too?!"

"And the Asteras there were called Estellas." Aldo nodded. "Olissipo, Hispania and Italia were the 3 biggest birth places of their respective warriors."

"Interesting."

"Now back to my days. In the camp I arrived, first thing I noticed even though the sun was about to dissapear, monsters were training intensively. From the next day already, all of us survivors, except from the ones who were injured, would start training."

"Well darn."

"And indeed, from then on, we weren't easily catching a break. The more experienced Stellars there would push our limits nonstopping. I was one of the worst in training, being yelled at more often."

"Oof."

"But I didn't get discouraged once. Especially because amongst my trainers was Marina too, training me and all Animalistics. Seeing her, I couldn't bring myself to even think about giving up. Once I had gotten slightly used to the training, I would wake up earlier than anyone and try to train by myself, correct me and my mistakes. Many months later I started showing improvement at great speed, fighting better and faster. And another morning as I went to train by myself, Marina was already waiting on the training grounds. She had observed my dedication and sharp improvement. More over, after so long of her being stoic and strict, she told me that I had great potential and asked what was pushing me to improve so hard."

"And what didja tell her?"

"That I was a coward before she rescued me and the other survivors of my village. And that I still felt as one, as I was under the training of the Stellars. And then I straightforwardly told her, one non-direct way of telling her that I had a thing for her, that she was the one who was inspiring me to better myself. Seeing as how from such a small monster with such big heart and soul was coming so much power to support such valiant purpose of defending the monsters, there was no excuse for me to stay and feel little and insignificant. And that she also made me want someday be able stand next to her in battle as bravely as her." Geno whistled.

"She didn't misunderstand anything hopefully."

"Mmm, no. She was impressed by my answer, she appreciated my loyalty and passion, but didn't take my statement as declaration of love. And then she simply told me to keep training, as someday soon enough I would be able to go out on missions too. And indeed, just 2 weeks of dedication in hard training, I was called up by the heads of the Stellars and was deemed worthy to go out on missions. But until I managed to prove my worth in battle I would not be called a real Stellar yet, even though I had trained in battle with fighting stick too, preparation to hold an Asderçõa."

"Sooo, what happened then? Marina sounded like she wouldn't accept feelings get in the way of her purpose. When did she start warming up to ya?"

"From just my very first mission. We travelled to a nearby village where we had gotten information humans were going to attack it. It didn't take long for us to get in battle. My old ways of being a coward were slowly kicking in my system again and in middle of battle I felt uncertain and lost, that I wasn't ready to fight actually. But then I saw Marina getting attacked by 5 humans at once and one of them throwing her Asderçõa away. Then giving her a good hit across her face and momentarily making her loose her balance. There, oh there, if only you had any idea what love does to the mindset of a monster seeing their soulmate in danger. Unlike the Asteras, who were supporting no killing, Stellars had thrown that out of the window. We were still trying to kind of avoid it, but there was no punishment if you killed the enemy. Before I could even think clearly, my hand had already thrown the knife that stabbed the back of the soldier's head who had hit Marina first and dropped him dead. The other 4 humans turned to face me but didn't give them time to even take a step towards me as I threw 4 more knives and found them on their throats."

"Badass!" Geno yelped.

"After that, as I hoped and wanted for long, for the rest of the battle to defend the monster villagers, I stood by Marina and defeated one soldier after another on our way. And I think after that day, as the Stellars stood victorious, that's where she had started seeing me a little bit more friendly and being more open to me."

"Aaaw!" The siren did.

"I was named a Stellar and given my Asderçõa. I would still train early in the mornings but Marina would be waiting for me on the training grounds. She trained me to master my skills with the Asderçõa. Unnecessary to say I got beaten up pretty good many times."

"Lol."

"We wouldn't stay on training only however. Many times we would talk to each other about ourselves. I had not many interesting things to say about myself. Rather tragic. Barely months after I was born, my parents were taken away from the soldiers because they couldn't meet their demands. They hid me in fear of being taken away too and I basically grew up from the mercy of the other monster villagers. I became a cook and that was pretty much it."

"And Marina?"

"Marina was coming from a rather religious family. Her parents were in good terms with the humans, very strict, but loving her dearly. Her father although a priest with the demand to teach and maintain the human religion, had taught Marina to be as I had met her with all qualities she had, even teach her to fight with the danger at any second being discovered. Even though he had kept his role of being a priest, he came in collision with a few noblemen and didn't take long for his family to get targeted. He was taken away, his wife too and Marina was left an orphan at the age of 10, with big rage and an oath to make anyone who wronged her or the ones she loved ever again, regret. She grew up and everytime she saw humans, she would take out her anger on them secretly, in any way she could. When 19 years old, Alvino Aster had arrived to her village to influence the monsters to defend themselves, even teach them on how they would be able to do that at any given time without the humans understand it. Never again she had felt so inspired to follow these ways if it meant making the humans' lives Hell. Unlike in my village where we didn't want to follow these ideas, Marina's village took it absolutely seriously. All monsters, except from the ones below 10 years old took the training and barely after a whole year passed, all monsters had mastered the art of combat, even with fighting sticks. When the humans came to claim monthly taxes from her village, not only they didn't get taxes, they got their butts kicked, with a loud and clear declaration from the monsters that they wouldn't accept such poor treatment unless the humans learned to respect them. After that, Marina evacuated from the village, as her and her fellow villagers were from then on declared official enemies of Italia. She hid in the wild, kept training, rescued and defended more monsters and would train even more that were coming to the Stellar camps. Alongside those, her village would meet other rebel villages. They united forces and power. The secret camps made, were scattered all over Italia so they could be close to still alive monster villages and defend them at any moment, while getting the chance to humiliate the humans. Secret villages."

"Perhaps similar in a way as Vilanterna?" Geno thought for a while before turning to look again at Aldo. "Did she eventually understand your feelings for her? Marina."

"I wasn't even sure if she thought of me the way I did. Even though I had climbed levels in power and had gained respect from many monsters, even though we had been closer, I just thought I wouldn't be good enough for her. She was also too serious to understand if she felt the same about me, Hell, if she even realised we were soulmates! Females and submissives are getting more often late to understand if they've found their soulmate or not, or in Marina's case, show and make it clear who they love. But after a year of my soul suppressing my feelings for her, I decided to just come clear. And so, one night, as the Stellars were celebrating around the fire after another successful victory against humans going to unfairly ruin the lives in another monster village, I asked Marina to go a little further away and talk."

"Oh ho ho ho~! How did it go?" Geno asked rubbing his hands together.

"I went straight to the point, after all she prefered it when someone wasn't beating around the bush. I told her that from the day she rescued me, never have I wanted more to be next to someone. She had become my reason to be stronger, fight, be courageous and brave. Standing next to her in battles felt like massive honor for me, but couldn't help anymore except wanting to stand next to her not just as a fighter. I wanted to be next to her forever as partners. Love partners."

"And what did she respond?"

"Once finished with my confession, at first she looked at me just blinking a little fast. Then she sighed and covered her face almost in frustration. Unnecessary to say I almost felt ready to get heart-broken. But then she looked at me and said, thank God, finally Aldo! Then she approached and kissed me."

"Woah!"

"Oh it was a dream coming true~." Aldo said and looked up to the ceiling with a daydreaming expression. "It didn't take long for the others around the camp understand we had become a couple and supported us. Four months later, me and Marina committed to traditional monster marriage, as such things could still happen even in the camp we were. And just a year later after that, we welcomed to this tough world our only son, who looked so much like his mother, we simply named him Marino." The beaver's expression darkened and his smile dropped. "… Despite the inevitable of death, we still choose to love. Despite the hard times we lived in, we chose to still experience love. But in the year 1529 my happiness was ripped away, as you heard in quick version. The humans had managed to locate the camp. And they were so angry we would cause trouble to them for years, they came with massive power in men. They fell upon us monsters and were extremely aggressive. They killed many and took many of us monsters to torture them later. Understanding that resistance would be futile, Marina insisted I took away our son and run to another camp. I didn't want to leave her. And sadly, that moment of inability to act cost me to get caught too. The humans recognised Marina as one of the heads of the Stellars. They forcefully separated us and put me and Marino watch as they put her in one of the camp's houses and set it on fire."

"Yes ya said ya witnessed your wife being burned. But your son too?! I can only guess what he had felt…" Geno said, shocked hearing these raw details.

"We were both crying. Marino had his mother being taken away from his life. He was barely 3 and a half. At the same time I had my soulmate being taken away from me. For the monster the pain is massive. Has Alter told you?"

"I had asked him in Lisbon about love and he told me about the bonds. And… what happens when the bond of Eros breaks." Geno said and intertwined his fingers together. Aldo sighed.

"You pretty much know what followed next. The humans asked me to betray the other rebels and Stellars, I refused just like many other monsters, got tortured, I starved, my tongue got cut and when there was nothing else to break outside and inside of me, they send me to whoever only knows where. Even if Marina had told me that if she died I had to keep living, deep in Grief as I was and so broken from the humans, I was almost ready to give up life. Couldn't bring myself to follow her words when I was hurting so much and had no hope left for my future, which most likely would end up with me whether dying before I reached the whatever destination, whether live as a slave for the rest of my life. But when the Reapers ambushed the ship I was in, some will to live found its way in my soul. A path much more preferable than ending up perhaps in the hands of the humans. I became part of the Reapers and here we are today." Aldo said. Him and Geno stayed silent for long, only sipping from their coffees. Eventually Geno raised head to look at the beaver.

"… And Marino? Your son?" He asked. Aldo exhaled from his nose thoughtful.

"… Never saw him again. When taken to get tortured, they separated him from me. I don't know what they did to him…" Suddenly Aldo slammed his palm on the table and looked at Geno sternly. "… But I have the feeling he's still alive out there." Geno raised brow.

"How are you so sure?"

"Children are literally and obviously part of their parents. They feel their presence. If a child dies, it's as if you rip a part from the parents' souls. I have already a part of my soul taken away because I loved Marina and she's gone with it. But Marino… no. Call it just hope of the desperate parent, but I believe he's still out there. And even if he doesn't remember me, as he was so little when being taken away…" Aldo placed his fist on his chest. "… as long as I still feel him in my soul, as long as I feel something coming from me still in this life as we are, I believe he's alive and well. And that's enough for me. When I discovered that, as something to hope for, it saved me from falling into a deeper pit of Grief. I eventually overcame the bond of Eros and kept living to this day with the hope that I might cross paths with my son someday."

The 2 fell again in deep silence. Geno thought about Aldo's story. He had mixed feelings. All this new information both about historical placement and personal, taken from another monster's life had put him into new perspectives. And also talking about that subject he so found difficult to understand, about love.

"So… you're one of the cases that kept living even after their love died." Aldo just nodded. "How… does it feel having that burden everyday?"

"It hurts." Aldo looked at the small skeleton. "Everyday when I think even for a little while about Marina, it just hurts. But even if I was to go back in time, if she was meant to leave in the exact same brutal way and I knew that, if I was given the chance to avoid it but not be able to stop it, I would not regret one bit experiencing all over again what it felt having her in my life before loosing her. I would still fall in love with her all over again and have all these beautiful memories with her, because that feeling and those memories are a hundred times more worth it than the pain. After all, Love is the equivalent of Grief. To grieve deeply means to have loved truly. Maybe it doesn't mean anything to you yet. But if you stay alive, if you experience more of this world and find your soulmate, you will find out too that life is tough, but through love it becomes tolerable and beautiful." Geno blinked surprised. Aldo smiled a little wider. "Rich coming from a pirate like me? Somebody who sees for the biggest part nastiness and brutality? I see those in the position I am and the path I chose, but this doesn't mean I forget the valuable lessons I got myself before that life. I haven't forgotten that there is still beauty anyone can experience. You too once you're done with your purpose."

"… W-Wow…" Geno did looking down for a few moments before looking again at the beaver. "How didja manage to find such strength to keep going even if ya say it hurts this much loosing your soulmate? Aside the hope for your son."

"With massive difficulty. Many don't manage to live for long. But from my nature I am a rather positive monster and I managed to find many other reasons to keep living. Even with no visible proof that it's true, that my son might still be alive, I stick to that greatly. Then it's Adrian, Yalin and Sam. Meeting them helped me break faster from Grief, even though I wasn't really accepting of them at first. Later Leandro. Having friends to mess around with, are each more reasons to stay attached in this world and move on little by little. Also, piracy is a challenging and exciting life. And maybe in the crew I am, I get to do stuff that I am slightly familiar with from my days being a Stellar."

"Like kicking the butts of humans who just can't keep away from bein' the monster kind's torturers, no matter what nation they are from?" Aldo chuckled.

"Something like that. What difference is there? Whether Stellar, whether pirate, I'm still a criminal in the eyes of the humans."

"True." Geno agreed. "But this whole conversation proceeded with ya talking about yourself and more from your life and it supposedly started with dogface. So, after hearing you out, where do ya wanna conclude? That he acts as he does and lashes out because he has a much deeper problem for which he doesn't share much about but you know because you've experienced the same as him?" Aldo nodded. "Except, you got over it. He hasn't dealt with it. Is that why you stick with him? Is it out of pity?" Geno asked raising brow.

"I don't do it out of pity. I just understand him, what he goes through. And I'm patient."

"Yeah, but he hasn't told you what's troublin' him so bad. Ya only speculate."

"He won't go into details with me. I only know he has lost important faces from his life." Geno groaned and covered his face.

"What kind of friendship even is that supposed to be between you and him?!"

"As we are nowadays is nothing compared to when we first interacted. I didn't like him as everyone else for his behavior when he first arrived on the ship, but also because he was of noble class. But everyday around him, the more I interacted with him, the more I would realise that he is simply… me after loosing my family. As he is now, I was like him. The others might not like him, but I cut him some slack. And because he sees I understand him, I think he silently appreciates that." He sighed closing his eyes before looking again at Geno. "I said it before. You don't have to like Leandro. But the least you can do is understand him, now that I've told you what happens with him. Many could be like him, having a far harder time dealing with Grief, no matter what and who he's grieving for. It is what affects his behavior on a big degree and makes him bitter."

"I don't have to excuse his whole behavior because of Grief, right?" Geno asked.

"Have it at least in the back of your mind next time he just acts as he more often does." Aldo said. A few seconds later with Geno thinking of this, he groaned.

"Fine, whatever. One last time though, are you certain he hasn't told you who is he grieving over for?" Aldo looked away thoughtful.

"… There is one monster he would more often talk about with me, it was the Captain's father. He wasn't enthusiastic about him, but Leandro shows his appreciation for someone when he speaks about them sincerely. He said he was in his service when a teen, but would almost talk about him almost as a decent parent figure."

"The… Captain's father?" Geno asked slowly.

"Mhm. But about how he left from life, he just won't go into details. I believe though that for him the Captain's father was an important somebody. With his loss, it added to his Grief."

"Anybody else?"

"Don't you f*cking know curiosity killed the cat?" A rough deep voice made both the skeleton and the beaver jump from their seats and look to the opening as Ramirez appeared walking in. Probably eavesdropping. He walked towards Aldo.

"Buongiorno." The cook said quietly. Ramirez scoffed before suddenly grabbing the smaller Animalistic from his chin, his claws ready with just slightly more pressure to dig in Aldo's cheeks.

"Talking about me? Didn't take you too long to start using the tongue and your topic happens to be me huh?"

PetiteCreatrice: *walks by and peeks in the kitchen* Embrasse déjà!
author: *spits her coffee*

"Talked mostly about me. You probably only heard near the end of my conversation with Geno." Aldo said, kind of muffled with the way Ramirez was holding his chin, looking at the dog stably in the eyes. Or well, eye.

"Lucky me I do not overshare about myself, or else even the smallest grain of sand would know by now."

"Hey! To your information, he called me here actually tryin' to get me to excuse your lil' 'mighty' behavior! Much needed, especially after what ya did by almost killin' me that day!" Geno went to defend the beaver as he had stood on his stool and pointing at Ramirez.

The doctor was looking at him from the moment the siren started talking. A few seconds later he looked up to the ceiling, snarled some profanity in Catalanic and let go of Aldo's face.

"Dov'è il mio dannato caffè?" He asked indifferent. Aldo just pointed on the counter he was in front of, where Geno saw him when entering the kitchen.

As Ramirez had his back turned, the beaver signed the skeleton to leave. Geno nodded and walked out of the kitchen, with a lot of information in mind to process and think of, things that could pretty much mean something in his future, for his future.

6360 words.

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shoutout to CoffeeYUMM, so you may go check out their account and story «My Gladiolus», the only undertale western-themed story existing on wattpad (as far as i'm aware of), at least before i removed my own western themed story simply named «Westtale» (oldest remaining fans will remember it).

follow the account and keep a close eye to it. trust me, you will have to. because i say so.

goodbye👋🏽

*pat pat pat*