A sentiment of excitement filled every cell inside of her body, but it was accompanied by a clear hint of fear, which, despite being now in contrast with this new, positive feeling, had no intention of leaving her mind alone.

From someone else's perspective, that building would have meant nothing but luxury, just the residence of an 'important person', maybe a politic or a judge. For most of her life, the girl saw those villas as something scary, uncanny, maybe even threatening, but at the same time, a part of her enjoyed the sense of mystery and need for discovery that they offered. However, now it was different, the house itself didn't intimidate her in the slightest; somehow, she found it strangely...Familiar, almost reassuring. The fear inside of her was caused by the imminent and true realization of what living there meant: she was officially a member of Passione. She'd have to give everything she had to show how valuable she could be, but her 'everything' felt insignificant compared to all that surrounded her. Could she really make a difference? Would any of her efforts even matter? She wanted to answer 'yes' to those questions, she truly did, but she just couldn't bring herself to.

Most of the team made their way inside, she wished she could have caught up to them, but she felt something holding her back. Or rather...Someone.

"You will have more time to explore your new home later. Remember, you have to take care of your luggage first"

Giorno said in his usual tranquil tone, similar to the one of a parental figure reminding his child of her duties.

"O-oh yeah...My baggage, of course. Sorry...I spaced out for a moment and well...Almost forgot a-about it..."

She let out a small, nervous laugh, ultimately snapping out of the scenarios inside of her head that she was already trying to visualize.

"Awww...I was already planning on showing you around, it would have been so much fun! Guess it'll have to wait, then"

"Go do your things, girl, see ya later!"

Narancia and Trish quickly reached the others, waving the two of them goodbye before stepping inside and closing the door behind them. Some sounds of dubious origin could already be heard coming from inside, it was hard to distinguish the various voices, there were too many.

Taking his hand off Eleonora's shoulder, the boy with green eyes took one last look at the house, before turning around.

"Perhaps we should get going, the hotel is quite far away from here"

"Are you sure about coming with me? I remember the way...Maybe I should go alone"

She looked around, hoping in vain for a clue of what path she should have taken. She knew that the chances of her actually reaching the place on her own were basically non-existent, but she felt like the blonde had already done enough for her, forcing him to tag along made her feel guilty.

"I'd rather not to risk, besides...It's my first time in this city after a pretty long time, I want to enjoy it as much as I can"

"That's...True, I can't even imagine how homesick you must have felt..."

"Not too much, to be honest"

He slowly walked away from the residence, as the other followed his steps, resigning to the fact that once he made a decision, it was impossible to change it.

"I'm just...Glad to be back home"

While they were walking down the streets, the girl with glasses could feel some people staring in the direction of the two of them, observing each and every one of their movements with a suspicious look. She hated that feeling, she knew how, soon enough, rumors about them would have spread. She had come to accept that being related to Giorno would have inevitably attracted some unwanted attention, she just wished she could have done something to prevent it, at least partially.

Noticing her discomfort, a sadden expression formed on the older boy's face, but it was rapidly replaced by a softer one, before the brunette could see it.

"I'm really proud of you, I'm heartened to know that you've already found someone you can bond with"

"Thank you...But it doesn't seem like anything too special to me. Pretty much anyone can get along with Narancia, and Trish is just happy to have another girl around"

"I fail to see the problem, a good friendship has to start from somewhere, even for a simple reason like that. And saying that 'he gets along with everyone' is a bit of an exaggeration, he was much more distant with me when I first joined them"

"They're weren't just...Nice to me because they pitied me, r-right?"

"Pity? Don't be so harsh on yourself, they're simply curious. Ever since I became the Boss...All of us had to work a lot in order to reorganize Passione, but now that we've found a new stability, the least they expected was a new member"

"That...Doesn't seem like a positive thing to me"

"It is, more than you can imagine. Life had gotten a bit...Repetitive around here, we all needed some fresh air"

She struggled to believe his words. While a couple of them were clearly excited about her arrival, she could already feel an undesired tension coming from some of the others. Although...She couldn't say they were at fault. Changes, both the big and the small ones, weren't always seen as something positive, depending on the person, and she understood why the presence of someone like her wouldn't exactly please them.

"I know what you're thinking, but you just have to give them some time, they'll get used to you just like they did before"

He could tell perfectly what was she thinking just by simply looking at her, she didn't even have to say anything. It was an ironic combination: despite her reluctance to express her opinion, and her wish not to let her worries show, her facial expression betrayed her every time. Or maybe, it was simply because of Giorno's habit of analyzing others.

Pretending not to see everyone's stares, the two of them calmly made their way to the hotel. Eleonora took the keys out of the purse and opened the door of the room, which looked fairly more organized than when she had left. The window, which she had forgotten to close before leaving, was now shut. The two baggage that she had left on the ground were placed right next to the bed, which also emanated a nice, clean smell. She took one of them, but before she could reach for the other, the boy preceded her.

"There, let me carry this one for you"

"Are you sure? It's pretty heavy...You picked up the biggest one too"

"Precisely"

"...Alright, thank you "

She had grown used to his little acts of kindness, there was no point in arguing about it any further.

Leaving the place for one last time, she brought the keys at the reception, which were immediately put back in place by a woman sitting behind the counter.

The way home seemed to have lasted less than before, or at least, that's what it seemed like to her. The weight of her luggage slowed her down a little, but she didn't even notice; she wasn't used to walking fast either way.

The house was way quieter than when the two had left, probably because most of the others were in their rooms by now.

As soon as they walked inside, the baggage that she was holding almost slipped from her hand. The salon they found themselves in had a feeling to it that yelled 'fancy'.

On the right, there was a red, velvet sofa, with some embroidered green pillows on it. There was an armchair on each side of the divan, in the same style of the latter.

"They're probably part of the same set" She thought to herself.

A rectangular coffee table separated them from a large television, there was a karaoke set right beside it. In the corner, there were various potted plants, she didn't recognise most of them. An immense table, one where you would usually sit at for a special celebration, could be seen a bit further in the room, still on its right. There was a table centerpiece with a golden candlestick on it, and various wooden chairs surrounded it. A transparent door could be seen next to one of them, it probably led to the garden.

The left part of the room was much smaller. There were two other doors, one of them seemed to be locked, while the other, which was almost opposite the entrance, led to an hallway. The only remarkable piece of furniture was a display case placed near the entry . It was filled with crockery made of ceramic and glass. Everything inside of it had almost never been used, it was mostly just an ornament for exposition.

The room was illuminated by a majestic candelabrum; it was quite stable, despite its imposing dimension. There were some pictures hanging on the wall, the biggest one was a framework of the seven of them together, each one of them was smiling. They looked happy...Genuinely happy.

Hearing their footsteps, Bruno walked into the room, greeting them both with a smile.

"Back already, I see?"

"Y-Yeah...I thought it would have taken longer, to be honest"

"Well, we're not very far from the city centre. Luckily, plenty of places can be reached with no big fatigue"

He looked at Eleonora right in the eyes, his expression appeared to be a bit warmer than before.

"Either way...You're just in time, I've finished preparing everything"

However, in return, he only received her confused stare.

"Excuse me...Everything? I don't...Really know what you're referring to, Mr. Bucciarati"

The man chuckled, exchanging a look of understanding with Giorno.

"I'm talking about your room, of course" "W-What?"

Even though she had already started projecting herself living among them, some details...Had been neglected, or rather...Left forgotten. Thinking about how many people already stayed there, it was almost hard to believe that there was enough space for her as well.

He got a bit closer to her, her incredulity was almost tender.

"Would you like me to show it to you?"

"Y-Yeah-! I mean...No, t-thank you...You've already done enough by preparing a room for me in the first place..."

"It's not a privilege, it's something you're owed. There's no need to make such a big deal out of it. Just come with me, alright?"

Accompanied by the blonde, she did as she was told to, walking behind her superior, following him into the large corridor. They walked past different doors, most of them were either closed, or she saw them too briefly to see what was inside, with the only exception being the kitchen.

At the end of it, there was a spiral staircase leading to the other part of the residence. The girl held tight to the handrail, without daring to look down... She never got along with heights, even small ones.

The second floor was consistently more lively and noisy compared to the previous one. She could hear some music, the sound of someone talking, somebody else...Jumping? She wasn't sure of the last one, it sounded like one of them was heavily stepping multiple times on the poor floor.

Bruno stopped in front of the last door right before the end of the hallway, revealing a tidy, spacious and shining chamber.

"I know it's nothing special, but it's free for you to use and personalize however you'd like. Please, make yourself at home"

He concluded, walking away.

The furniture in the room was very simple, it may have almost seemed lame compared to what she had seen so far, but she didn't mind: she appreciated its minimalism. There was a white, round carpet in the middle of the parquet, while on the far left corner, there was a cream-colored bed and a small bedside table, with a lamp on top of it. On the right, instead, there was a wide, beige wardrobe, which was most likely empty. The two were separated by a velvet curtain, that covered the entrance to a small balcony.

But there was nothing else in there, just the mere essential. After seeing what the house had to offer, one could have easily described this place as boring, maybe even disappointing, but its 'owner' could see the potential in it. Everyone made their own unique in some way, she knew she could do it too.

Before Giorno could say anything, she happily ran over to the closet, and opened it as fast as she could. There wasn't a single trace of dust inside of it, Bucciarati really was good at cleaning.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll handle this! Just leave the luggage there and go rest a little... Please"

The boy raised an eyebrow, the way she switched from being calm and reserved to exploding with energy never failed to surprise him. He approached her and put the baggage down, watching as she clumsily 'organized' everything inside, as she wasn't exactly sure of what to begin with.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you?"

"No no, I can do this, you'll see!"

She said, folding a T-shirt and slamming it with the rest. Noticing that the boy had no intention to leave, the smile on her face became a little smaller. She put down a jacket and turned in his direction.

"Giorno...Please, go have fun with the others, okay?"

"Do you not want me to stay here?" "N-No! It's just...Why are you still hanging out with me?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

He showed no hesitation in his words, she struggled to understand his flow of thoughts.

"Why? You haven't seen them in forever! Don't you want to catch up to your friends now that you're back?"

"Of course"

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't seem like you're doing a very good job at it"

"For them, it's like I never left, I have all the time to do so"

"It's not just about them, it's about you...You know? It's supposed to be something you wish, I shouldn't be telling it to you!"

The boy in pink looked down, his expression became more serious.

"Right now, you may think that I'm exaggerating, but starting from tomorrow... I'll have to go back to my job, you won't see me for most, if not the entire day. I promised that I would have been there for you, and I need to take advantage of it while I can"

"...Y-You're right, sorry...I didn't mean to sound ungrateful"

"I would never think of you as ungrateful, don't worry"

After she was done arranging the clothes, she put the empty baggage under her bed. However, there still seemed to be something inside the other. "I think I know why this one was much heavier" Commented the blond, as the other opened the only zipper left, revealing a series of...Peculiar, and rather familiar mangas.

"I'm still not sure that this was a good idea"

"Don't worry, I'll put them in these drawers for now, who would even think about rubbing though my things?"

"That's true...But still, it's quite a risk" "I'll find a better place to hide them, but this one is okay for now"

Everything was placed where it belonged, luckily the volumes fit perfectly in there.

"Well, now that we've taken care of that, how about we get to something a bit more exi-"

His sentence was brutally cut by the sound of a telephone ringing. Giorno immediately rushed to pick it up, already knowing what it meant.

"Hello? Ah...I see, alright, I got it"

He rapidly hanged up, letting out an heavy sigh.

"W-What's going on?"

Eleonora asked him, obviously concerned.

"I'm...Sorry, I have to go to work"

"What? But...You said that-"

"I'll be gone just for a couple of hours, by the time we have dinner, I will already be back"

"Alright...Be careful"

"I will"

"By-"

Before she could even finish the phrase, he had already left. As she was trying to think of what to do next, she heard some footsteps coming in her direction. Being caught off guard by the unexpected noise, she jumped lightly.

"Whoa whoa girl, it's just me!" "O-Oh...Hi...Trish"

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost"

"It's nothing...Don't worry"

The pink haired girl looked around the room, not believing what the other had just told her.

"Giorno isn't with you?"

"N-No...He just left"

"What? But you've just arrived!" "Uhm...Actually, I came home around an hour and half ago..."

"You- Oh! Sorry...I had my earphones on, I couldn't hear you"

"It doesn't matter, really"

"Well...You're free now, right?"

She only nodded in response, the fact that he had to go so suddenly had shaken her a little. To her surprise, Trish smiled excitedly, grabbing her arm.

"That's great news! C'mon, I said I would have showed you around, didn't I?" "Yeah...B-But-"

"No buts! Someone's got to help you, you don't wanna get lost in here, don't you?" "That uh...Doesn't seem like the best option"

"See? We agree"

Next thing she knows, the older girl was dragging her from room to room. First, she showed her the kitchen, the bathrooms, even the library, and lastly...

"There, this is my favourite one! Well...Aside from my own, of course"

It was a music room, the only one in the house that could be perfectly seen from the garden. The front wall, opposite the one with the door, was occupied by an eye-catching window, which offered a beautiful view over the garden. In the left corner of the room, not too far away from the entrance, there was an electic, red guitar, it seemed pretty new. On the other side, instead, there was an empty music stand. On both side walls, there were two bookcases filled with books and music sheets. A spectacular classical piano and its tool stole the scene from anything else inside. For some reason...The newbie felt a bit sad looking at it.

"Soooo...What do you think?"

"It's...Really majestic"

"Yeah! Too bad that the piano looks like it's the only good thing in here"

She got closer to the music stand.

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is to always have to move it to the center of the room when I want to sing?"

"Ah! So it's yours?"

"Why, of course! I'm a professional singer, after all. The guitar over there is Narancia's, while that giant thing...Uh..." "Mh?"

"Well...Bucciarati says that he bought it for Fugo, but I don't think that I've ever heard anyone playing it, to be honest" "That's...Really a shame"

She touched one of the keys, making sure not to accidentally make any noise.

"Ya know...My mother tried to convince me to play, but it's way too classy for me, I got fed up after two lessons or something"

"I think singing suits you more, actually... You're showing others something that you really own, your voice, and it's unique! But when you play an instrument...I always felt like you kind of hide yourself behind it"

"Uh...I've never thought of it like that, but perhaps it's not necessarily a bad thing!" "What do you mean?"

"It's still better than nothing, right? Imagine how many people wouldn't even try to get into music if they always had to be under the spotlight, it's an awesome advantage for somebody shy!"

The brunette smiled to herself, she found those words strangely comforting. Somehow, they made her feel better about herself.

"Let me guess...YOU play the piano, don't you?"

"I- how would you know?"

"I dunno! It's just something about your expression, I have a talent for spotting music potential in someone" "W-Well...Uhm..."

Trish patted the black stool, inviting her to sit down, then sat on the piano.

"What are you waiting for? I wanna hear you play something! Come on...Just a short song, please?"

"I don't know if I-"

"Uhhh...Don't wanna get in the way of whatever you two are doing, but dinner is ready, k?"

Mista interrupted the two of them, sticking his head out of the door, with a sleepy expression.

"Damn it Mista! Why do you always have to arrive at the worst time?"

"Oi! Don't blame it on me, Bucciarati asked me to call you"

She gave him a fake angry look, swelling her cheeks and crossing her arms. "Urgh...Fine fine, we're coming" "Aww...You're adorable when you do that face"

"Shut up! Can't you see how mad I am?" "Yeeeeeah...Super mad, how scary"

He walked inside the room and took her by the hand, bringing her down from the instrument.

"C'mon, stop being a baby, you'll have fun with your new little friend later"

"Hey! Quit treating me like a child" "Whatever you say, Trish"

He let go of her hand, inviting the other girl to follow them.

Almost everyone was already sitting at the table in the salon, the only ones missing were Bruno and Narancia. Seeing Giorno already there with them, the girl felt a bit relieved; she didn't want to admit it, but she was secretly scared that he wouldn't have come back in time like he promised he would have. She occupied the empty spot beside him and whispered a 'welcome back', before everyone's attention was caught by the sound of Narancia running towards them.

"Sorry...Uff...I'm uff...Late..."

"What's the excuse this time?"

Fugo asked, clearly annoyed.

"I was-"

"No, not being able to pause an online game is not an excuse"

"You're no fun"

Shortly after him, Bucciarati arrived, carrying different plates in his hands. The smell that came from them could only indicate one thing. It was the obligatory dish for celebrating the arrival of a new member in the team.

"Buon appetito"

The man sat on the head chair, taking off the oil that had slipped on his hands with a napkin.

"AW HELL YEAH, PIZZA!"

The boy with the bandage happily took a slice, accidentally making some sauce fall on his skirt.

"Try not to eat all of it alone, Nari"

"He won't...Not if I do it first!"

Mista quickly grabbed one as well, but before either of them could eat, Abbacchio weakly punched them on their heads. "Stop it, you idiots"

"Ouch..."

"Sorry..."

Everyone was enjoying themselves, chuckling, casually talking with one another...But the newcomer still didn't feel at ease, she saw herself more as an invisible spectator, rather than an actual part of the 'show'.

"Is something the matter?"

Giorno asked her, delicately putting an hand on her thigh.

"N-No! But everyone is so...Lively, it's kind of hard to uhm...Integrate m-myself inside of the conversation..."

The warmth of his palm almost made her have an heart attack, physical affection from him (aside from head pats) was a rare occurrence.

"That uhm...Doesn't really make sense, I-I know..."

"It's understandable, there's nothing wrong if you can't bring yourself to initiate a conversation, just give it some time"

"You're right, there's...No rush"

Despite their low voice tone, the others could easily notice the two of them murmuring something under their breaths.

"Eleonora, I hope I don't come off as rude asking you this, but I know quite a lot of people from this city, and I've never seen you before. Are you from around here?"

Said Bruno, in his usual curious tone.

In the moment she heard the question, the girl could already sense the agitation growing inside of her. She didn't want to lie, it was barely her first day here, what if they figured out that something was off with her answer? And she knew perfectly that if her 'accomplice' were to answer instead of her, it would have made everything even more suspicious.

I knew it! I knew it, dannazione! What the heck am I supposed to say now?

She though, remaining silent for a few seconds.

Everybody is staring at you, you idiot! Say something, qualunque cosa!

Keeping her eyes stuck on the plate, she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Actually uhm...I've been l-living here for a while by now...It's pretty curious that we've never met before...I've always had a... R-Rather poor sense of direction though, so I mostly just uh...Stayed inside"

"Ah...I see. I suppose this isn't your home town then, where are you from?"

"A city i-in Sicilia...It's not very popular, I doubt you'd even recognised it, if I told you how it's called..."

'Sicilia', or universally referred to as Sicily, is well known around the world for being the biggest island in Europe. It's a region situated in the Southeast part of the country, which, during its history, has come across many cultures and people, including the Spaniards, the Greeks, the Arabs and the Latins. Nowadays, it's still a very famous tourist attractions because of its food, its art and its beautiful sea.

"Sicilia? Damn, that's pretty cool"

Narancia added, his mouth was still full of pizza. The others could barely make out what he was saying.

"You should have brought some cannoli! The ones that they make around here suuuuuck"

"C-Come on...That's a bit of an exaggeration"

"Oh yeah? I wanna see what your Sicilian tongue will say after trying that crap" "Hehe...My expectations aren't too high. As long as they're sweet and edible, I'll eat them"

She blinked an eye, her sweet tooth was something they would have probably discovered very soon.

"And you understand HIM?"

Trish said, pointing in Mista's direction. "AO! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh please, you know what I'm referring to, I'm talking about your damned accent! Would you speak Italian for once in your life, instead of Napoletano?"

"Not happening, forget about it"

She wasn't wrong, he was most definitely the one in the group that the timid girl struggled with the most to understand. Narancia, and sometimes Abbacchio talked in a similar way, but the boy with the hat's accent was way too thick, it was almost like hearing him talk in another language.

"She has a point, Mista, you should try to speak your actual language a bit more often"

Interfered Giorno, trying not to show his tiny smile.

"This IS my actual language, you guys don't understand anything"

And from that, the table went back to its usual light hearted arguments and conversations. Eleonora contained a sigh of relief, she managed to go unnoticed with no big troubles. She wanted to avoid the topic like a disease, but it seemed like she hasn't had to lie excessively so far.

After dinner, the young Boss was the first to get up from the table, catching everybody's attention.

"I think I'm going to head to bed"

"Ah...Is it going to be a long day tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid that's going to be the case, I'd rather get as much sleep as I can"

"I think I'll go get some rest too...I'm not used to go to sleep so soon, but today's been pretty tiring"

The girl next to him said, standing up from her chair as well.

"Thank you for the dinner, signor Bucciarati, it was all delicious. Goodnight everyone"

"See ya tomorrow!"

"Sleep well, belli addormentati"

"Goodnight guys"

As the remaining six were still busy chit chatting, the duo silently left, heading for their bedrooms.

"Phew...Luckily they didn't pay much attention to me, though Bucciarati's question put me in a corner for a second" "You should probably get used to it, he's quite the curious person, I can talk from personal experience"

"I...Don't feel good about hiding it from them, but there isn't really much we can do about it, uh?"

"Sadly, that's the way it is, you just need to play along for now, and who knows... Maybe one day, you'll be able to tell them about it"

"That...Would surely be a weight off my shoulders"

"I understand why you feel that way, but don't stress too much about it, just think about getting some sleep, tomorrow's a new day"

He opened the door of his room, it was right in front of hers.

"Dormi bene, Giorno!"

"Anche tu, goodnight"