"Seidici," Sixteen Nino said with his tongue sticking out to focus as he caulked the new glass window Alex had just helped slot into place. The old man looked over his shoulder and nodded seriously. "Not too bad, eh?"

"Mmmhmm," Alex said with a full mouth of pasta. Even though it was just them alone in the shop, save for Nina, he looked around to make sure no one was listening. "From the…hmmm…from the shack?" He meant the vine covered shack in the garden. Alex had guessed there were tools or wine barrels in there. As Nino was explaining, it turned out to be yet another layer to the couple.

Where else could the glass come from?

"Ah!" Nino chuckled and wiped from extra caulking from his finger onto a dirty towel he produced from somewhere. "Yes, yes. The shack is what give us building material. So, it take sixteen pizza deliver for window," The old man thought for a second. "Is like loading. Loading glass from pizza."

"So every time someone enjoys your food, you get what? You get like points or something to spend?" Alex asked. He was genuinely curious, and Nino was in an affable mood after his shop no longer had a giant hole through the front.

"Is like sheet. Not only way we gain or grow strong," Nino said as he sat across from Alex and looked around his freshly fixed shop. "But yes, that is about what it is. I decide glass. Nina agree, because what wife want more important. Food gets eat. We get point from system, and take point to make or do thing."

Alex moaned as he shoveled another forkful of perfect meat ragu pasta into his mouth. After running through so many deliveries, he was fatigued, but less so than the week before. A floating Nina had pressed the bowl into his hands right after he swept the broken glass and slotted in the new one with Nino. She now hung out in the kitchen, humming italian songs and forcing the cookware to clean itself. His shift was over, and he had made a ton of deliveries. Alex just wanted to munch on this delicious food since Nina was offering and take a damn minute before driving off to Snu's for the 'talk'. Whatever that meant.

His loot bag was at his feet under the table, Mary had let him know that she was still with Jemin, and still no sign from Lord Loopy. Mr. Mystical and Harold had rambled on at each other before letting him get back to his deliveries. That was after they said that they would be helping in their own special way against the Krushers. It had been a very busy day, and it wasn't even over.

At least the Credits were good.

[CREDITS: 1911 -> 2692]

And this pasta! Numnumnumnumnum.

The rigatoni had a chewy al dente bite. The sauce was thick and savoury, and clung to every part of the pasta to coat it in tomato, meat, and deep flavours so rich he couldn't help but moan. Each forkful of pasta, sauce, and cheese felt like a hug. He couldn't help himself, he cleaned the bowl, bite after bite, and soon enough was looking at the bottom of the plate that was streaked with sauce.

He looked up at Nino, who smiled at him instead of the shop. "So…how many 'points' does a pizza give you then?" Alex asked before looking down at the flower bowl.

Would it be weird if I just stuck a finger in there and licked the rest of the sauce?...

Nino just grinned and pulled up a hand. In it was a chunk of crusty, rustic bread that had been ripped off some monstrous loaf. He handed it over to Alex, who took it without thinking.

"Scarpetta," Scoop Nino said while Alex looked back at him questioningly. After looking at him for a few seconds, Nino just sighed. "You wipe sauce with scarpetta. Take the bread and wipe the sauce. Mangia."

"Pizza is say…two point," Nino said. "But if you late for deliver?" He chopped his hand down sharply. "We lose one hundred. You drop pizza?" Another chop. "No point. Is wasted. Someone no like our food?" Nino gave him a pained look. "Lose two hundred point."

That surprised Alex. He wiped the crusty bread across the bowl, dragging it through every bit of sauce until the plate was practically clean. "Brutal," he said as he lifted the scarpetta towards his mouth. "That's pretty heavy handed. Even you need to follow the rules of the System though, I guess…"

He took a bite of the scarpetta as Nino just watched him and smiled. The sauce-soaked bread was unbelievable. It was almost better than the delicious meal he had just eaten. The System, of course, then hit him with a notification.

[You have ingested a Rare Grade Buff!]

[Alex's Scarpetta – TIME REMAINING – 3:59:59]

Alex's Scarpetta

This is a Rare Grade Buff that only works after the completion of a singly breaded, full-bowl Scarpetta ritual. Bread must be rustic, and sauce must be worth scooping. Bread must be dragged until the bowl is clean. No sauce left behind. One must not waste anything.

Infused with Nina's wit and Nino's strength of the ages, this hunk of wet bread is for fools who try their best.

For the remaining time, you receive:

[Bread-Based Durability: You are +50% harder to kill. Enjoy being crusty. Very crusty.]

[Tomato Touched Clarity: +25% enhanced thinking. Not quite a genius, but smarter than your usual baseline. So, you're pretty much in the normal range now, bucko.]

Stolen novel; please report.

Note: Ingestible Food Buff only works once every 24 hour period.

"Woah," Alex said, amazed and not at all put off my the jab from the System. "I love scarpetta."

Nino nodded gravely. "I sorry for keeping it from you," he said, wiping his hands on his knees like a young man. "I should have done better. I…regret." He looked at Alex, and even though Nino was muscled, with giant hands, he looked at him like he'd failed a son.

"About it all, Alex."

"Oh! You've been holding out on me, Nino!" Alex said grinning. "I'm always doing scarpetta now! That was delicious. And that Buff? Perfect. Perrrrfect for what I need."

But Nino didn't laugh. He just shook his head all slow and heavy.

"No," he said. "I mean about it all. About curse. About bracelet. We…can feel all curse in our Domain. I should have done something."

That made Alex's chest thump. "Oh." Nino and Nina had known, then. About the bracelet, and about the curse. Anger began to bubble…and Nino's hand clamped down on Alex's shoulder. It was firm, calloused, and strong.

"We have trouble in past," the old man said with a shaky voice. "We can no trust everyone. Very few people. But now, you are one of us. We help. Before…" His grip loosened. "I am sorry. We should have done something to help. Before? We thought of you like good boy. Worker. Funny. Now? Now we think of you like family. And family gets truth. Even when it hurt."

The anger in Alex's chest roiled, and every street rat instinct was yelling at him to take a swing. They had known, they had felt the curse, and still let him run off with it.

How could they!?

Before he could speak, yell, punch, Nino kept speaking. He didn't look at Alex this time, but stared past him into his haunted past.

"People try and get us. Try and get garden. We cannot let happen." Nino's voice turned hollow and hard. "Someone try and take this? We lose everything. I lose everything…"

Nino's hands were clenched with white knuckles on the table. The dark whisps on the walls were fluttering again. His eyes were flaring again, with that deep flame and brimstone igniting in his sockets like an ancient roman forge waking up.

"I cannot lose Nina again," Nino growled. "I will not lose Nina again. Not for anything."

Alex looked at his glowing eyes and saw something terrifying. Not just the undead glow of power. This was the look of a man who through sheer force looked to have gone to hell and back for a tiny little floating woman that he loved. Alex wanted to know the story there. In fact, he was almost desperate to ask. But Nino looked like he was ready to explode.

"Nino," Alex said but the man didn't hear him. "Nino–hey! NINO!" he yelled.

Nino shook his head and the glow faded. The dark whisps that would have flown into Nino retracted. The old man reached up and rubbed his eyes, and then gave Alex a boyish shrug. "Sorry. Is just…" He sighed deeply. "I still sorry." He looked at his thick hands and back to the kitchen, where Alex could still hear Nina humming and cleaning up.

"It's OK." The anger from Alex was gone. He just saw a man who would do anything that would protect those who he considered family. Alex could understand that. It just made him think of the things he would do if someone were to try and hurt Emilio, or Mary, Jemin, the boys…Snu. He'd do just about damn near anything for them.

Alex reached out and placed his hand over Nino's white knuckles mit. Even though his hands weren't small, they were dwarfed when placed on Nino's. "It's OK. Seriously. We will figure it out."

"Thank you," Nino nodded sharply. "I cannot leave. But we, Nina and me, we will help any way we can. Food buff. Drink buff…" He unslotted his hand from Alex's and lifted it. "And one more thing."

"One more thing? I already got the Skill upgrade! Which I still have to use, now that you mention it."

"If me?" Nino said. "Illusory Copy. Is very, very strong Skill at higher level." He mimed a little running man with his fingers. "Ma no–just this."

Into Nino's hand popped a small folding paring knife. It was simple, worn, and unassuming. Alex recognized it of course. It was the same knife that Nino had expertly cut a pear with, and then handed off a fresh slice to Alex with. The blade was short and no longer than Alex's finger, and the wooden handle was smooth from years of use.

Nino handed it over, and Alex hesitated for a few seconds before taking it. It was warm in his hand as he [Investigated] it.

[Ancient Paring Knife]

No more details would be offered from Alex's meager Skill. But that one little word let him know that he was holding something truly powerful. The word 'ancient' almost never appeared on any item. For something to be truly ancient…

"Oh, is old. Very, very old," Nino winked and tapped the side of his nose. He looked around and leaned in to share a secret. "I take from evil Lich. In Roma. No Lich like me. Ancient beyond understand. Best part?" The old man looked around the shop, back at the window, which wasn't covered by the blinds as people bustled outside. "It can cut through anything. And I mean anything."

Alex's eyebrows were about a finger's length from his forehead. Nino had just given him an incredible treasure. He believed him of course. Anything with the word ancient in its name meant that it held untold power.

"Thank you." Alex smiled up at Nino as he slotted the knife next to his Stone Sword in his pocket. "I won't knick my finger. Don't want to lose it."

Nino barked out a laugh and stood up. Alex took his cue and got up as well. The plate also lifted from its place, along with the fork, and drifted off towards the kitchen on invisible air. Alex threw the loot bag over his shoulder and it clinked with all the goodies he had received. The pasta and scarpetta still warmed his belly, the knife was nestled against his Stone Sword, and he had the Loopy Horn at the top of the bag just in case of Krusher invasion.

Alex said his goodbyes, and he stepped out into the noise and glow of the city. The Cookie monster sweeper was nowhere to be seen, and it looked like a regular Wednesday night. People bustled, people hawked, and people walked.

Time to face the noise of Snu.

Alex walked back to his car, and on the way, he felt into his Core for the Skill upgrade he had gotten for being a friend of Nino and Nina's. Without hesitation, as he knew where it was going, he slotted it in.

His Core unfolded just a smidge, and it felt like a cool summer breeze had wisped through him.

[Illusory Copy] Level 2 -> Level 3

It was at that moment that his phone decided to buzz.

New message from: Britanii DO NOT CONTACT

Alex read the message in a quiet panic just as he turned the corner near Jemin's, where Mary, his friend, and the boys were.

Britanii DO NOT CONTACT: I told you it was important. Now you'll see. You snooze, you lose.

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