Note: I don't own Transformers, only Armonie Zibetto. :)
Full Summary: Armonie Zibetto sitting in a tree. A-i-u-ti-o! Armonie Zibetto liked what she did in Italy, but everything turned upside down when she was saved by a giant robot from outer space after getting herself stuck in a tree. But certain things come with a price, and soon Army finds herself dragged hither and yon with her savior. But it's all good…right?
Author's notes: Aiuto (by the Italian alphabet A-i-u-ti-o) means "help".
Unlike in "Friends", where Italian was in italics, this version English (or any other language besides Cybertronian) will be in italics; it's told from Armonie's perspective so naturally she wouldn't be speaking much English.
This is a story how Armonie met her guardian and how they came to America. :) Hope you like.
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"Give Mommy a kiss goodbye." Face alight, Antonio stood on tip-toes and pecked his mother on the cheek before giving a boyish laugh and running to his friends, stopping briefly to turn and wave to his mother inside the schoolyard.
"Come on, Mommy! Isabella's waiting for me." Romhild tugged impatiently on her mother's sleeve, pointing to the schoolyard across the street where her blonde friend waited near the gate.
"Okay, Romhild, honey. Let's go." Bending down, she kissed her daughter's forehead and walked with her across the street where she quickly pecked her mother on the cheek and raced off with her friend to the swing set.
"Ah, Armonie. Don't you remember the time when they were little ones that needed their padro and madre to chase away nightmares and monsters?"
Armonie chuckled. "My memory isn't bad like yours, Amalia. Besides. They still need us to do that. Now give Mommy a kiss and run off to work."
Amalia chuckled but obeyed, kissing her before walking down the street. He stopped at the corner to wave briefly before getting in the car and driving off. Armonie waved to him as he passed before setting off in the opposite direction to her own job. She watched as other parents took their kids to school, and nodded in greeting to those she knew.
She reached her destination and smiled as the familiar smell hit her. Unlocking the door, she closed it behind her and pulled her outer coat off, revealing her tan uniform. Picking up and filling the buckets by the door, she went to visit her charges.
"How are we feeling today?" she asked, dumping the bucket into the trough.
The little Mongolian pony she had nicknamed Sweetheart (despite his belligerent and ornery attitude) flattened his hears and gave her a chocolate-eyed glare. Armonie laughed and rubbed his forehead and nose, something she knew he liked despite his denial. She knew from her coworkers that she was the only one who Sweetheart tolerated, and found it sweet. Another of the ponies, Daffodil, whickered and butted the zookeeper before going over to eat.
"Well, that's good." Armonie said with a laugh. She scratched the thick, scraggly mane between Sweetheart's ears affectionately. "I'm afraid I'll have to go now. I'll visit later, I promise." Reaching into one of her uniform's many pockets she pulled out a small carrot which she gave to Sweetheart.
She walked out of the enclosure and continued her duties, greeting each of her charges and giving them little treats from her pockets. Whenever her boss saw her talking to the animals, he'd just shake his head and tease that she should just go and live with them in the wild if she cares more about the animals than the people.
That was always the way she spent the day at her job: carrying large buckets of feed to the animals and feeding them, avoiding crowds and people who would ask her 'oh, can my little son feed the elephants?' or 'excuse me but can you tell us where the restrooms are?' it irked her to no end, but that was part of her job and she was obligated to say 'no, I'm sorry ma'am but we're not allowed to have anyone who is not certified to feed our animals unless it's a specially trained animal in a show' or 'take this road to the giraffe enclosure and turn left until you reach the big building marked "outhouse".'
At one her shift ended and she left, heading over to the town nursing home.
Old Alphonso glared at her as she let herself into his room, sitting smoothly on the chair facing his wheelchair. "You're late." He growled, and Armonie glared back at him.
"You're so old that it takes half an hour for your wrinkled brain to process the pretty numbers you see on the clock." Was the retort.
"Back in my day, you younglings weren't nearly so ill-mannered!"
"Well in my day, you old-as-dirt people aren't nearly so ornery."
Faded green eyes met dark brown in a staring contest that seemed to last an eternity. It was Alphonso who broke the silence, breaking out into a great big grin and laughing. "So. How is my little one?" he held out his arms in an invitation for a hug.
"I'm not your little one, old man." Armonie teased, moving to hug the frail man.
Alphonso laughed, patting her on the back with a wrinkled hand. "Tell me, Armonie. How are little Antonio and Romhild? I haven't heard from them in ages."
Armonie smiled, moving her chair to sit directly in front of the old man. "I just saw them off to their first day of school today." She gave a dramatic sigh. "They're growing up so fast!"
Alphonso laughed, patting her on the knee. "That I know, precious. When they're leaving for college or walking down the aisle, it will seem like just the other day you held them in your arms for the first time."
They made small talk like that for another hour where Armonie found herself pushing the elder around the gardens and talking some more. After a while, they bid their farewells to each other (both rather reluctantly) and parted ways, Alphonso to go with the nurses and Armonie to walk down the streets back to the schools.
Antonio came back to her first, bubbling with cheer at his first day of school, hopping around his patient mother as they crossed the street to pick up his sister Romhild who waited just as impatiently. Then, listening to her two kids prattle on about their days at school, she sat down at the bus stop.
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"How was your day?" Armonie asked her husband over dinner, noting the weary way he held himself.
Amalia sighed. "I'm lucky I live up to my name." he told her wearily, before giving Romhild a look for not eating her vegetables. "The deadlines have been moved, so we have to work twice as hard as we were previously." He said wearily. "I feel as if I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders." Armonie kissed him on the cheek as she picked up his plate to refill it.
"Let's hope something's good on the horizon." She told him, rubbing his shoulders as he began to eat again.
"Yes, let's hope." Amalia murmured, as tired and weary as she had ever heard her husband.