Be Feliciano again ==

You are now the idiot.

You are following your newly-found friends to their hideout. Everything seems a whole lot less scary when Ludwig's around!

"Where are you from?" you ask him.

"Well, I was born in Germany..." he replies stiffly.

"Really? I was born in Italy!" you say. "I don't remember it at all, though. Do you have any family?"

"I think my grandfather is still in Germany... and I have my brother, Gilbert, back at Abyssinia. You've met him."

"I have?" you ask. Then you realize... "Oh, he's the one who attacked me all those years ago! Promise you won't let him hurt me!"

"Er... I promise." Ludwig says, a bit taken aback by your mood swing. "He's more obnoxious than dangerous while in human form, anyway."

"Alright, then!" you say. "Perhaps he and I can be friends! I seem to be making a lot of new friends, lately! What about you, fratello?" you turn to Lovino(which means you have to walk backwards) and he gives you a blank stare. You sigh.

"Still don't recognize me, hmm?" you ask. "At least you aren't yelling at me. Do you think, if you were still alive, you'd be yelling at Antonio? You seem to like him... but you'd never admit that while human, I bet! You were always weird about that sort of thing, you know."

Lovi doesn't appear to be listening to you, which sort of breaks your heart.

"It'll be alright, Feli." Antonio assures you.

You begin to wonder if that will ever be true.

After a while, you all make it to a quaint-looking cafe which was probably abandoned years ago. The economy always drops during a zombie apocalypse.

"Welcome to Abyssinia." Heracles says.

"It's very... cozy?" Kiku replies.

"It's actually much bigger on the inside." Ludwig reassures him.

Heracles leads you all inside and into the back room, where he pulls open the cellar door. You are taken aback by the sudden chatter and music that spills out of it. Ludwig leads the way, followed by Antonio who asks Lovino to keep watch. Then you and Kiku descend the stairs, closely followed by Heracles.

OMG ==

"Wow..." you breathe.

You've never seen so many people in your life.

The room-well, it's more of a cave- is huge and well-lit, and there's a bar and a kitchen and some sleeping bags and hammocks and so many people.

"And there I was, face-to-face with the head vampire's filly's brother, and he's got this kid wearing his Chicago overcoat hanging next to him, and I tell him that I'm packing heat and the crumb's just bumping gums with the ghost and is acting all calm and I'm getting positively Wicked here and I'm about to fill him with sunlight when suddenly, I feel all stiff and cold, and the next thing I know I'm frozen solid!"

A young man with blond hair is talking to a circle of people hanging on to his story, gasping and hushing each other at appropriate moments.

"If you were frozen solid, then how are you here talking to us?" asks a guy with messy blond hair and an irate expression.

"I melted, obviously." the storyteller says. "Don't you ever think, Vash?"

"Well, I think that if you were frozen solid, then your innards were too, and if your innards were frozen solid, then you'd be dead."

"Well, you thought wrong." the storyteller replies. "It was a magic freezing spell, dummy. I doubt that ghost had enough nerve to drag someone else down to the afterlife with him."

"Oh look, Ludwig and Heracles are back!" says a pretty blonde girl wearing a headband.

"And they brought new recruits!" adds an Australian man.

"Uh... hi?" you say.

"Could everyone shut up for a moment?" Ludwig asks in a loud voice. Everyone shuts up. "Thank you. These three have been searching for our group, and now that they've found us, I trust you'll treat them with respect. Go ahead and introduce yourselves." he says to the three of you.

"Hola! I am Antonio Fernandez Carriedo! Just call me Toni!" Antonio says.

"I am Kiku Honda. It is an honor to be here." says Kiku.

"My name's Feliciano Vargas! You can call me Feli!" you say.

"Feliciano Vargas?" asks a member of the crowd. "Whoa, I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

Who dares address you? ==

You take a closer look.

"Alfred?" you ask uncertainly.

"Yeah, man! It's me!" the blond says, getting up.

"Alfred!" you say again, running over to hug him. "We all thought you were dead!"

"Nah, man. I totally duped those vampires!" he says.

"I wouldn't put it past you!" you laugh. "You wouldn't believe all the adventures I've been having recently! Berwald is smitten with this kind Finnish vampire who introduced me to Kiku and Antonio, and Mathias was... er... killed. By the same vampires who got you, I think! Isn't that an odd coincidence?"

"Geez, really? That's a bummer." Alfred sighs. "All the cool people either get killed by monsters or are me."

"One more announcement!" says Ludwig. "Lovino Vargas, Feliciano's late twin brother, is up in the cafe. He followed Antonio out of a zombie nest and seems fairly docile. I hope none of you will give him problems."

This is met by some doubtful murmurs.

"We're harboring a zombie?" the blond storyteller exclaims. "That's so not snazzy."

"Seems fairly docile? That's so reassuring."

"What if it eats us while we sleep?"

"Sleep? Who can sleep knowing a zombie is in the other room?"

"Hey!" Antonio yells. Everyone shuts up and looks at him. "I only just met him, but I am positive that Lovi won't hurt any of us! I thought you guys were the most powerful speakeasy in America, but you're scared of a single zombie? Lovi saved my life, and I'm certain that he is the key to finding the cure! Any problems with him may be taken up with me!"

"Whoa..." Alfred says quietly. "This guy's intense."

In comes awesome ==

To one side of the room, a sleepy man with severe bedhead and a bit of a hangover wakes up.

"Huh? Luddy, what's going on?" he asks groggily.

"I am not going to have everyone repeat themselves, Gilbert." Ludwig replies.

"Gilbert?" Antonio asks. "Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

"Antonio?" Gilbert asks, getting to his feet.

The Spaniard laughs and runs over to hug him.

"Mi amigo! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" he exclaims happily.

"Geez, give a guy some space." Gilbert grumbles, but he is smiling. "And do ya hafta yell right into my ear? I've got a bit of a not-so-awesome headache."

"I missed you too!" Antonio says happily. "I didn't know Ludwig was your brother! Oh, that's Feliciano Vargas and that's Kiku Honda! And upstairs is a zombie named Lovino Vargas and I won't hear a word against him, you got that, buddy?" Antonio's demeanor has gone from chipper to cold all too fast.

"Uh-huh." Gilbert says. "Wait, Feliciano? Isn't he the guy who... damn." the albino pushes Antonio away and walks over to you. "Listen, I'm sorry I attacked you way back then. It was really un-awesome of me."

Kill him! ==

Punch him! ==

Forgive and forget ==

"That's alright!" you say. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have met Ludwig!"

"Huh, someone actually likes Ludwig?" Gilbert asks in mock surprise. "That's a shock! No offense, Luddy, but you're such a stick in the mud sometimes!"

"I think he's really nice!" you say with a frown. "And he's saved my life on more than one occasion!"

"Can we change the subject?" Ludwig asks uncomfortably.

You spend the rest of the day chatting with the members of Abyssinia. You, Antonio and Kiku are all given sleeping bags and food and beverages, and a few of the braver members go up with Antonio to hang out with Lovino. Antonio doesn't seem to want to let anyone besides you and him be alone with your brother, which you think is awfully sweet.

I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here is from the musical Annie.

Aw, Spain and Prussia had a little reunion! All they need is France, now! I wonder where he is...

Anyone catch the Doctor Who reference?