#pietro.

"i appreciate you coming to visit me, you know," he begins, stacking the plates he's just finished drying for the latest occupant of his house and replacing them in the cupboard closest to the sink ( unfortunately, forgetting that that is not where she keeps her flatware ). he turns his full attention on the reaper and wipes wet hands on the kiss the cook apron he'd manifested for himself. "it's nice to actually talk to someone; that young woman who lives here now is very sweet but she and i can't exactly... chat, i don't wanna frighten her — however, she does keep a box of wine in the fridge if you'd like a glass, not the most impressive bouquet exactly, but it's still wine."

@bucketkicked gets a bonus pietro!

It’s not the first time Pietro has been to Diasomnia, but it is the first time he’s been inside a room that isn’t Piper’s.  It’s an old one, she’d told him, that Piper was fixing up — with help — so Barbara could have a place to stay that wasn’t an attic.  Neglectful parents / trying so hard to be worth something more.  It’s a familiar story, at least in a few ways, and he thinks of that as he watches Barbara’s eyes blink slowly open.  They land on him and widen, and he uses his best, safest big - brother voice when he says, “hey, hey, you’re okay.  Just me.”

Pietro doesn’t know the details.  Just that Piper used her unique magic on Barbara without her consent — “Piper!” “I know, I know,  but I was so scared for her, Pietro.  Please, you can yell at me later once I’m done berating myself, but for now she needs somebody better than me.” — and that Barbara had responded...badly.  He supposes he’s grateful that it hadn’t ended up worse.  He doesn’t know what Piper discovered, just that it had her terrified for and not of Barbara, and that she’d asked him to come, please, as soon as you can, please, she’s like you, you’ll be better than I can be.

MAGNUS FAMILY JEWELS

Nunzia’s mother worked in a state-sanctioned brothel, got pregnant, and gave Nunzia up for adoption. She was then sent to a convent-ran institution.

When she aged out of the convent, she was still surrounded by economic devastation. So, she went to the nearest port town looking for work, but wound up being a prostitute dealing with many men and soldiers. It was not uncommon for her to steal from them, either.

Despite her theft, Nunzia believed her best bet for a good life would be for a solider to take her away to America or the United Kingdom, but her paths crossed with Paolo, who would preoccupy both her time and mind.

Paolo was from Caltanissetta - a miner who escaped his conditions. He still took up life as a bandit, both out of survival and political ideology that Nunzia was swayed toward due to her discussion about the local law. She became an outlaw, too.

Pietro was born a year after the conclusion of World War II, at this time Paolo was still an outlaw and a believer of Sicilian nationalism. Both politicians and the mafia were against him. Nunzia wanted to leave the country for the sake of their child having a better life, whereas Paolo wanted to stay no matter how rough things got. His belief was that their ancestors survived difficult times and they would, too.

He would get slain by the local mafia for one of his many transgressions. Initially, Nunzia had revenge on the mind - but she knew the best thing to do was leave and provide her son with a better life.