Where after the long interaction between the 2 small skeletons, Geno will take his leave to keep going about his day. Disaster however isn't so far away...

Reaper's POV:
-

I see him blinking fast for many seconds, attention once again fully focused on me. Kinda expected.

"The... The dogface?!" Geno yelps adorably. I nod. "How and when?! How did your dad know him?"

"Remember mentioning in my narrations doctor Caninto? Andrés was his grandson." The surprise only increases on Geno's face. Then he goes into thinking mode.

"... Oooh." He eventually does. He seems confused soon after. "How did he end up being the one to take care of you? It couldn't be just because of that."

I stay silent to recollect my thoughts. He's curious. And as much as I'd want to say more stuff about me and for Geno to open up, one way or another, talking about Andrés without a care of what I reveal won't happen.

Of course I could do that and the doctor could simply be sulking in a corner unable to do anythin' about me talkin'. But his past is a story his to tell in details and share if he pleases. What I've seen during his time in my family ain't as bad. But before that, with his own...

*sigh*

Poor Andrés. And I didn't make it easy for him to be my guardian. He had his responsibilities and I was in my own grieving world, not appreciating his efforts. It needed for me years later to recall and realise the importance he had for me and Grim when still a kid...

"He wasn't just trusted. For a few years he used to be part of the family." I focus my attention again on Geno. His expression clearly asks me 'how'? "... He was taken in by Hades. And... he was nothing like today. He was serious and all that, but less aggressive. Angry... He was more hesitant and with no confidence. I remember mother describing me that day she saw father walking in the house holding in his arms the unconscious body of a beaten up dog monster covered with his cape to reduce the chances of accidentally killin' him. And at first mother had actually think that was Lucia."

"Lucia... the mom right?"

"Yes. Andrés looked almost entirely like her. He even had her blue eyes before he started enhancing his magical abilities with the metals. Or, well, eye."

"So Aldo was right..." My siren says silently, moving his mouth but with no sound. I understood what he said to himself anyways, common thing the priests of Death are good at and teach. Or, well, one of the few skills I prevented to conquer while stayin' on that temple, before...

*sigh*

"When Andrés had first arrived at the mansion I hadn't fully comprehended why he had come to stay. I don't think I remember for what reasons when younger. But I had just the knowledge Lucia and her husband, Silvio, were... not good parents towards Andrés. And that clearly showed to haunt him for as long as he lived with the Renrinks."

"Why would your dad adopt him and save him from his own parents though? I thought you said he couldn't care for anyone except his family."

"I had no real knowledge then. But as mother was told by Hades once Andrés was settled to rest on another room and I eavesdropped, he had his own personal reasons as to why he was allowing 'the puppy' to stay under his care. Again he wanted to gain some kind of benefit... But as long as Andrés stayed with us, father managed to shape him in little time from an almost broken and terrified to make his own decisions monster, to one decently strong and almost as brilliant as him. Giving him a lot more time than to me."

I remember just how clever and intelligent Andrés proved to be not long after settling in with us. There were times where he would say something valid and correct, suggest something which if none of us could think of, to him it felt as if stating the obvious. But he was ashamed for it.

Terrified when he was expressing himself or saying the right thing if he didn't ask for permission first. Permission! Stars, the trauma his own family gave him... It needed a lot of reassurment especially from Hades to encourage him speak out his mind with no fear and worry.

That if he said the wrong thing he wouldn't die and if he said the right one it was the other's complex if they couldn't accept it. In the mansion he had managed to build that confidence to express himself. Especially around Artemis. She valued his opinion a lot and would never stare at him with annoyance.

More than anyone she was encouraging him the most to speak up and she would listen carefully, exchange opinions and give arguments calmly if one wasn't completely agreeing with the other. These 2 had become bestest of friends as long as Andrés stayed with the Renrinks. And I think alongside Hades he gained a big part of personality from her too.

Oh, Andrés... And I used to feel jealous of you because you were given more attention. But you arrived at us a ruin, you needed help. At least Hades did give you mercy in his own way by accepting you. No one would ever believe if they didn't see with their very own eyes just how you used to be and act.

"Were you feelin'... jealous?" Gen asks, temporarily gettin' me out of the whirlwind of past memories.

"I think so at first. From what I remember. But when I complained once that father was caring more for Andrés than me, mother proceeded to explain and help me stop feelin' like that. I was born and I already had received love and care from my family. Well... Andrés didn't meet any from his beginning. Like every kid, as mother kept telling me, he needed and he deserved to feel safety, comfort and acceptance. He needed care, proper one that was, cause he had been taught a different idea of what 'care' was and it showed. Or what he had to do if he ever wanted to receive such."

"Oh..."

Bein' beaten up for being disrespectful or being wrong was considered discipline and learning boundaries.

Studying nonstop as if there's no tomorrow every day of your life, as if that's the only thing you gotta do in life was considered quick development.

Not eating enough food given to you but as much as somebody else thinks you deserve was showing your value and teaching 'abstinence'.

Bullsh*t.

It felt absurd to lil' babybones me. Perhaps I wasn't just jealous of Andrés at first, I wasn't liking him because he had behaviors that bewildered me. Ones that I would have understood if I was treated in the way he was but from Hades. Generally, when you don't understand somethin' you tend to not like it.

He wouldn't look us in the eyesockets. He avoided at any costs to look at us on his first months of stayin'. He was nervous being around us. On the table he would many times avoid finishing his food and excuse himself back to his room, many times not even finishing half of it.

And he was almost as much of a skeleton as us with how skinny- no, malnourished he was! Mother mostly, then the triplets had tried many times to encourage him look at them, roam around the mansion freely, eat whatever was given to him, which was plenty. But he would refuse.

There was clear hunger in his eye but would tell us he was full. The problems with his appetite were the most severe and needed much longer than any other to be fixed. A lot more time for that until he was reassured that he was free to eat until he was really satisfied. But he wasn't obeying to anyone.

He refused to fix the mindset he had from his parents and listen. Except from Hades. Only if he opened his mouth he could make Andrés listen. Only him could convince him to speak, admit when he was tired, or still hungry. After all he was the one who had saved him from his parents.

Despite, from what I remember hearing father saying, Andrés had asked him to give him mercy by killing him...

And Andrés had wondered many times why father was keeping him alive. Why he was accepted amongst the Renrinks. And it wasn't like Hades wasn't answering him, in fact he was replying to him again and again, to erase his doubts.

"I'm merciful enough to let you live under the roof of this house, but one day you will return that favor granted upon you. Until the day arrives I tell you your purpose, you are safe to forget all 'lessons' your parents passed upon you. I won't keep feeding and hospitalize the hesitant, pitiful coward you are right now, I will reshape you to the man I have in mind, one with great potential."

On the first months he was constantly persuading Andrés when he was showing problematic behaviors. Ya look today at the doctor, starin' right at you with not a care in the world if he makes you uncomfortable, straightened back and raised chin, talkin' stably when not mad with that chillin' and ironic tone.

Well, nothin' like years ago. All Hades' doing on reshaping him as he had said.

From the first steps that showed Andrés slowly gaining more of an independent mindset and personality was to stop askin' for permission for almost literally anything. From wanting to go somewhere in the house to askin' for reassurement if he was really allowed to eat all food on his plate.

The more he saw that nobody, especially father weren't stoppin' him but approving, he stopped feelin' unwelcomed and hesitant. He became more open and relaxed to do whatever it was he wanted to, without suppressing himself to keep silence.

"Well... your dad certainly did succeed on makin' him the man he's today." Geno says rollin' his eyesocket as he looks away.

"Before father started takin' me to his business trips, he was takin' Andrés. They would never share with the rest of the family whatever they were doin', but Andrés was a lot more thoughtful and often studying from his notes even deep at nights as I had seen sometimes. Except those kind of studies he was more willing and satisfied to do unlike the one forced upon him with threats."

"From his parents?"

"From his parents."

"So..." Genito looks at me thoughtful and focused. "... the reason Hades took custody of Ramirez and put all this effort to personally raise him like he did with your sisters and you, has to do with the fact that he arrived at the very last second, like some, deux ex machina, if that's the correct way to say it..." Very close beauty. "... to be deemed worthy and superior to claim your father's legacy?" I nod smiling wider. He really has been listenin' and observing.

"... Perhaps the oracle father had asked for years ago when I was just a month old souling inside my mother had caused him to move in such ways and have somebody which he would have personally trained and shaped 'em in such way they were deemed trustworthy. And owing to him. Father did that with Andrés. He found him broken and made him exactly in the way he wanted."

"Then where was Ramirez to have arrived suddenly for the will?"

"Overseas. When father managed to train Andrés enough to be independent, headstrong and capable to stand his ground, after givin' him his first support, he send him for further studies in Padua on his 18's. He was on his 26's or so and had barely finished his studies in medicine when the news of father's death reached him and that the Renrinks' will would be read. He had travelled and returned to Valencia just in time to claim the legacy, the mansion and the business."

"So your dad left everythin' to him?"

"Only in the case there was no other Renrink of age to claim it. Which meant yes."

"And... what happened then? How didja take those news then?"

"I remember... apathy. I just let Andrés get me and Grim outta the room we were all waitin' for the will. We returned to the mansion and I was not any different. Still sad and miserable."

"... Did he at least try to take care of ya?" Geno asks and I could be delusional when I catch worry in his tone, behind his serious and thoughtful expression wantin' to ask and hear more. Heheh.

"In all honesty, there wasn't much about that. Not that I cared then. Andrés had to lead all that father had left behind. He had also his doctor responsibilities attend to. He wasn't much present around the house, but every now and then he was checkin' up on us. He also took care to contact the temple of Death in which I would be send to and spend 10 years of training. Which was supposed to make things easier for him as he would have to be concerned only for one..." I pause. "... But no. That wasn't goin' well then. And it was me makin' it that way."

"Why?"

"I would often escape the temple and fly back in the mansion. The only one keepin' me alive and preventin' me from going crazy because of the Grief was my brother. I couldn't care less for the complaints the temple was sending Andrés and him lecturin' me for bein' disobedient and troubling the priests with my sudden dissapearances, I could fly for hours nonstop just to check up on Grim and keep him company, make sure that at least he was happy and protected in the mansion. Needin' the knowledge that Andrés and Izabella kept bein'-..."

"Who's Izabella?"

"... nice to him..."

... keep it to the few necessary things Charon...

I sense my surroundings thoroughly even outside the door of the office. Once makin' sure there's not a single soul at close proximity, I turn to look at Geno still keeping my composure. We simply stare at each other silently. Eventually he does seem to understand what I'm implying in my stare.

"... His..." He doesn't complete his sentence. I nod.

"... Just 2 weeks after Andrés claimed father's legacy, mine and Grim's custody, he brought her home. A hare woman with snow-white fur. She was the one who was mainly ruling the house to be kept in order. That way keep a closer look on Grim, have a legalised guardian in charge. And I wasn't trusting her one bit then. I had accused her for many things, that she would corrupt the household and act like a tyrrant. But what I feared the most and was makin' me and my thoughts more hostile with her was that I believed she would try to replace mother. That belief was strongly fueled by the fact Grim had become accepting of her very quickly. I knew because he would often tell me about Izabella and how nice she was with him everytime I would escape the temple and fly back to the mansion. I had felt then there was no way I was lettin' my little bro forget whatever memories he had from his real mother. And I would direct my insecurities and anger towards her, blamin' her for things she hadn't even done and even warnin' her to be careful with whatever she would do. She really didn't want the slightest slip up be my reason for her soul to be the first ever I would reap."

"Sheesh!"

"And you know what? She was a genuinely good woman. The stuff of the house respected her. She was a gentle and caring soul, ready to generously give all love and affection she had in her. Even though she was clearly showin' to get sad when I would be rude to her, scared when I would threaten her, she had understood from the beginning that I was simply hurt and still was ready to greet and farewell me with a smile. She would even be up to help ease my position if Andrés was on his way to harshly lecture me for not stayin' on the temple. Such things I started realising and appreciatin' them only a few years later. I was simply way too blinded by my Grief and distrust to accept all that and that she was the figure Grim needed to help him grow healthily and truly safely."

"... Well? Did she manage that?"

"From the beginning already. I simply understood that and accepted her only close to my 15's, a little before..."

I was forced into the path of piracy.

"... my life would turn upside down once again." I eventually say taking my look off Geno and stare' forward to the wall ahead of me. Silence befalls us again, temporarily each of us in our own thoughts.

"... And... what happened to her?"

"Simply roaming to the land in which sooner or later us monsters end up."

"O-Oh..." I lean back and huff.

"... Way too early for her. I dunno what was the cause, I just know her death had messed up Andrés. Like father, he was never too open about feelings. But he really loved her. When I reunited with him, I was the Captain of this ship for somethin' less than 5 years. And when I observed him from closer, only by his eyes I could see just how dead inside he was... And he still is today, handlin' that in... questionable methods."

No one's POV:
-

Slowly Reaper crossed his arms and closed eyesockets. A minute of silence later Geno got off the couch.

"... I uuuh... should go." He said quietly. Reaper just nodded and the shorter skeleton went for the door. But the moment his hand was reaching for the handle, the necromancer spoke again.

"Geno..." He called and the half-siren turned to look at him, now with opened eyesockets nailed at him and a grin. "... Spillin' my nonexistent guts to you is most certainly not makin' us buddies and not changin' much from the mindset you've taught yourself to have about the current me. Sure you've been put into thoughts, but the opinion won't change anytime soon. Though, when it's just us, you may call me by name." He said. Geno looked at him confused and startled, looking at him a little more intensively, trying to understand if he was somewhat messing with him or-. "I mean it." Reaper nodded and soon after a little bit of mischief was added in his expression. "Even right now if you like, since you've been stuck in one place starin' at me so intensively like this. Am I that handsome?"

"Shut up you-!" Geno hurried to open the door and exit, leaving Reaper in the office smiling widely like the jerk he was. He chuckled and a few seconds later he stood up. His look fell on the papers portraying his family and his smile froze on his face.

He put them together neatly, except from the one with Persephone's face. He held that paper seperately from the other ones and held it close to his chest. He sighed sad as he looked at himself in the mirror of the office. For 2 whole minutes he stayed on that before closing eyesockets, huffing and feeling more sad.

"Λυπάμαι μητέρα..."

And then it hit him.

That horrible shivering feeling, that chill that was running down his whole body constantly, that faint sound of a distant scream as it was muffled into oblivion, fighting to stay in this world. Reaper almost fell forward as his hand let go of the paper.

Now his wide open eyesockets were empty. The darkness almost covered his surroundings, with the only visible to him presences being those of the hundred glowing orbs, scattered on different parts of the ship. But they weren't the ones that bothered him.

3 souls on the medbay.

Monster ones.

And the one of them was slowly dying.

The darkness almost befell Reaper's vision when realising who was in such state.

Geno

3440 words. MWA HA HA HA HAAA

whatever the f happened!

you will learn, until the next time we meet again! *runs away*

ah, yeah!

*pet pet x2.000.000 the sweet cute bebeh (Y/N)*