Spending time with Colonnello had been fun. He reminded her a lot of the Weasleys... of Ron and the twins, even Charlie and Bill. He was great to hang around and in a way it felt like when she had spent her time goofing around with Ron in the common room, only the exasperated sighs from their third was missing.

Sure, the magic wasn't there either as they played video games but… it was oddly reminiscent of it and while Colonnello was still different it made it a way too quick process to relax around him. It was comforting in a way to have something so familiar but different.

He was right though. He beat her completely in every video game she owned but she had fun. The rain was still brash and when she stole his controller from him she was submitted to a headlock but it was in good fun, not actually hurting her. Leilani even invited him to stay for lunch.

She had gotten a phone from the Carcassa at one point and she had accepted it even if she had informed them that they under no circumstances were allowed to give her number out to anyone but that evening when she was laying in her bed she actually put in Nello's number. Her first official contact that wasn't one of the carcassa!

She didn't message him yet though but still she had problems containing her smile when she looked at the contact. It was almost as if she had a friend again.

It took several more weeks until she actually worked up the courage to text him.

She took a picture of the newest game she had purchased and added a message under it.

Unknown number; If you don't give my number out you can come over to play it with me.

caffeinated sleeping pill: Skull?

unknown number: Yeah.

caffeinated sleeping pill: You know this would have been way easier if you didn't text me in the middle of a meeting with them

Houdini:..oops?

So… Do I have to change my number now?

caffeinated sleeping pill: No need. I'm naturally way better than Reborn so this was easy and had in no way anything to do with the fact that Lal supported me.

Lal just hit me because I shouldn't be lying.

Houdini: She's right.

caffeinated sleeping pill: She's asking if you come to the next meeting.

Houdini: Dunno. But do you want to come over when you're free?

caffeinated sleeping pill: Sure, I bring snacks.

In the end she met Colonnello every few months and he even started to text her pictures from the arcobaleno meetings or sharing stories of how Viper demanded to play Monopoly with actual money, bankrupting Fon almost completely while doing so.

It took another few months until she finally agreed to go to one of the meetings. She was telling herself that she wasn't hiding when she stayed plainly behind Colonnello who had spent the morning with her. She really wasn't hiding and she definitely wasn't afraid. Under no circumstances!

Leilani practically stayed glued to Colonnello while they entered the building, not moving from that spot when they got greeted by the others and she might have hidden herself a tiny bit more when she again got encountered by relieved faces. She might have not been able to hide herself any longer when they took seats around the table but her chair was suspiciously close to the rain.

Her awkwardness at the situation and as always wariness only got interrupted when Colonnello started to snicker "Skull, kora. I have never before noticed how much smaller you are than the rest."

She pursed her lips, it wasn't like he was lying she indeed was heavily smaller than the rest of the group. No wonders in her opinion as even Lal in her adult form, the smallest of the group still managed to trump Leilani's actual body by almost 30 centimetres. The witch knew she was small, very small but that didn't mean she would let him make fun of her for it.

She didn't even have to move to make his chair topple over but she grinned at him "Wanna laugh about that again?"

Verd immediately perked up "Skull? How are you doing this?"

She paused, actually looking straight at him for the first time since arriving. "What do you mean?"

"How you made Colonnello fall or… generally everything on every other occasion. How are you doing this?"

"With magic?"

"Flames aren't supposed to do this."

She raised an eyebrow, over time she had figured out that flames were just the equivalent to magic in this world. Honestly they were basically the same thing only that the people in this world were limited to a few categories of magic. "I just do it. It's not that hard."

"I get that you have more flames than us but… every other flame user I met with several flames was never able to pull any of the tricks you did. Not even one of us."

Leilani shrugged her shoulders "It's not my fault you don't know how to use your flames."

The silence that hit the room actually made her a bit wary. Maybe this hadn't been the right way to say it… only maybe though. She chuckled nervously.

"Lackey." the warning in Reborn's voice made her hurriedly scramble to the door.

She knew she shouldn't. She really shouldn't but… she couldn't quite resist it. So while she was running through the door she yelled "I'm gonna give you a first hand teaching lesson by the great Skull-sama. You probably will get out. Just believe!"

The moment she closed the door under the alarmed yells she let out a huge amount of lightning flames, swirling around the whole building.

Funny thing about using Colloportus in this world was… it didn't just lock doors so that they couldn't be opened manually, windows were included too.

She really scrambled to get back to her airship. She probably wouldn't have long to make her escape before she had to flee from a bunch of mafiosi whose ego she had injured.

She already was flying off when her phone pinged.

caffeinated sleeping pill: We had to break down through a wall… You actually managed to make Reborn destroy his own savehouse.

Houdini: You're not mad?

caffeinated sleeping pill: Why would I? Seriously can't wait what you pull next time.

Houdini: You don't think they kill me on sight?

caffeinated sleeping pill: Viper managed to film Reborn lose his shit over not being able to open a door. You are legitimate the sole person that managed to create opportunities for Viper to fill up dozens of books containing blackmail. Honestly Viper should kneel in front of you for that. But I think they would protect you with their life at this point.

Anyways no. They won't kill you. But Reborn will probably try to pay you back though.

Houdini: He can try. My father was one of the greatest pranksters in existence. No one can match that legacy and I haven't even started yet.

caffeinated sleeping pill: Skull?

Houdini: Yeah?

caffeinated sleeping pill: Thanks for coming.

When she had gotten the picture from Colonnello, showcasing his hammock and his view over Mafia island, she really hadn't expected what her mumbled comment, in the middle of meeting the Carcassa, about "I want to go to Mafia Island." would do.

She really hadn't planned for this. This definitely hadn't been what she thought would happen and definitely not what she had meant with it.

When Lorenzo had said they would follow her she actually had expected that the Carcassa would make a weekend trip with her, nothing more. Seriously nothing more and no hidden thoughts and plans… at least from her point of view.

Really, no one could fault her for that. Misunderstandings were human after all… no one could fault her, right?

Still she sheepishly looked up at the rain in front of her "Well… you said I should visit more often?"

"Normally visiting a friend doesn't mean bringing your minions with you and attacking or is that your definition of friendly fire, kora?"

"...yes?"

"Skull…"

"This was… totally planned. I…" she tried to think of something "Just… had to make sure you're safe? Security check?"

"Sure, this is totally what this is, kora."

"Yeah?" she tried to put a convincing self confident smile on "The great Skull-sama cares deeply about his friends?"

Colonnello groaned out. "I'm gonna wreck you so hard in Smash later."

She grinned sheepishly at him, "You can try."

"Yes, yes, you walking disaster. Now whistle back your minions otherwise I will refuse you access to my snack cupboard, kora."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me, kora. This is Sparta."

Leilani immediately scrambled to do damage control.

That she found the situation afterwards so hilarious that she promptly did it the year after again and finally forming it into an annual tradition was just a lucky by-product.

After the first four times Colonnello actually started to find them amusing as well after all. So it wasn't that bad, right?