WARNING: This chapter contains major spoilers for Godzilla Minus One. If you haven't seen the movie yet and don't want to be spoiled, skip this chapter for now and come back to it later.

"He's been in there for a while." Daniela said as she and her family stood outside of the sitting room.

Joseph had brought the stuff Alcina had purchased in there, and spent a huge portion of the day reading the instructions and setting it all up. It must have been a lot of stuff too, because he had been in there for close to three hours now.

"How long is this going to take?" Cassandra asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Be patient, dear. I'm sure Joseph has something nice planned for us." Her mother replied.

Cassandra took a few deep breaths.

Right. Breathe and relax. Remember empathy. She thought to herself.

She didn't have to wait too much longer as about ten minutes later, the doors finally opened and Joseph stood there with a look of excitement.

"Come on in! Let me show you your new setup!" He said.

As the family walked in, they were greeted with a large TV hung on the wall with a wireless antenna connected to it. It was displaying something called Apple TV on the screen and alongside that was an image of a monster the sisters all recognized, Godzilla.

"This is the new entertainment room!" Joseph said eagerly. "There will be more stuff coming, but right now, we have a streaming service to watch all kinds of movies and TV shows!"

"Oh hell yeah!" Cassandra said. Now she was getting excited.

Alcina didn't know what streaming was, but she still gave a look of concern.

"Joseph, please tell me you didn't strain yourself doing all of this."

"It's ok Alcina." He said. "It's not as strenuous as you might think. Anyway, I have the new Godzilla film, Godzilla Minus One, ready to go! Anyone up to join me?"

"I will!" Daniela shouted. "I haven't watched a movie in a long time!"

"Yeah. I want to see this 'dark and serious' Godzilla you've been talking about." Cassandra said with a sly smile.

Joseph smiled back and wheeled her to a spot next to the couch.

"Oh, you won't be disappointed. This film has gotten all kinds of praise."

The brunette snorted.

"Seriously? People must have low standards."

"Or maybe your medicine is affecting your brain." Joseph teased.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, are you calling me dumb?" She asked while pretending to be offended.

"Nah. Just someone who has no taste in entertainment." He joked.

"Oh, fuck you." She laughed.

Joseph laughed back as Cassandra playfully smacked his arm.

Alcina sighed.

Those two are getting along too well. She thought. Maybe Daniela was right about…

She quickly shook the thought away and took her seat as well while Bela turned off the lights

"Alright. Let's do this!" The blonde said.

….

As it turned out, Cassandra had really underestimated the film she was watching, as it was nothing like she thought it would be. It was dark, gritty, and most surprisingly, it had an engaging human story about guilt, family, and hope. It was the last thing she expected out of a monster movie, and she especially didn't expect to get attached to the characters as much as she did. Apparently, her mother and sisters were just as invested as they gave audible reactions during every big moment.

The biggest moment however came when Godzilla used his atomic breath on the city, creating a nuclear explosion. The visual was stunning enough, but when Noriko was caught in the shockwave of the explosion after saving Koichi, there was a loud gasp from all of the Dimitrescu family. As the scene ended with Godzilla roaring in front of a mushroom cloud and Koichi screaming in anguish over Noriko's apparent death, Cassandra quietly slipped Joseph 2,000 lei while also trying to hold back tears.

By the time the people joined together to fight Godzilla for the climax, everyone was on the edge of their seats. Even Joseph, and he had already seen the movie. Finally, the moment came when Koichi figured out Noriko was still alive. And as he hugged her in her hospital bed, Cassandra couldn't hold back any longer, and she started quietly weeping. This was one time where she was glad she was wrong.

When the film ended and the credits started rolling, it got a standing ovation from the whole Dimitrescu family.

"Good heavens, that was wonderful!" Alcina said while drying her eyes.

"I will never question you again Joseph! That was so amazing!" Daniela yelled as she jumped up and down with excitement.

"I…sorry. I need a minute." Bela choked as her mother handed her her handkerchief.

Cassandra was silent for a moment before turning her head towards Joseph.

"Thank you for showing that to us Joseph. I…I don't even know what to say right now. That movie hit me emotionally more than I thought it would. I wasn't expecting that."

Joseph gave the brunette a big smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it! A lot of people like to joke about Godzilla, but don't realize how good his films can really be. It just shows you can't judge a book by its cover."

"I would have to agree." Cassandra replied. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm actually glad I lost the bet."

Bella turned towards her sister with a surprised look.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that, Cassie."

The brunette chuckled.

"Neither did I, but hey. I guess I loved the film so much I don't care."

Nobody could really argue with that. They all had the same opinions about the film. Daniela then spoke up.

"This might sound weird, but even though he was the bad guy, I kind of felt bad for Godzilla."

Everyone turned towards the redhead.

"What do you mean, Daniela?" Alcina asked her daughter.

"Well, I think it's because he didn't choose to be the way he was. It was that bomb that turned him into that monster. It's almost like he was angry at the people for doing that to him. I just had a strange feeling about that." She said.

"You probably felt a personal connection, because you knew exactly how he felt." Joseph said.

The daughters turned towards him with a mix of confusion and surprise on their faces.

"I assume The Duke told you about the Cadou?" Alcina asked

"He did, but he didn't go into more detail than that, as you requested."

The countess breathed a sigh of relief. Joseph then continued.

"What I mean is, you guys are just like Godzilla in that regard. You too didn't choose to be the way you are. And because of that, you feel different and out of place."

He then turned towards Cassandra.

"And it probably made you feel insecure, right?"

The brunette slowly nodded her head. She knew exactly what her friend was implying.

Joseph turned back towards the others.

"So you probably felt a bit of sympathy for Godzilla. Because in a way, he's kind of like a reflection of yourselves."

Cassandra clenched her jaw. That comparison was spot on. More than Joseph realized.

Thankfully, Daniela broke the silence.

"Joseph, is it ok to be different?"

Joseph gave the redhead a warm smile.

"It absolutely is Daniela. I had some fellow students in the dojo that were like that. Some had mental disabilities, while others were physically different. One person was even born without hands."

"Oh, that's horrible." Bela gasped.

Joseph nodded.

"They certainly felt that way about themselves, but Master Hisashi never treated them any differently than the rest. Whenever he was asked why, he always said this. 'A warrior needs only to be strong. It matters not where that strength comes from. If one draws strength in a way that's different from others, that makes them an even more challenging opponent, because they are different.' He made those people feel special, because they were."

"Are you saying…we're special too?" Cassandra asked nervously.

"You absolutely are special! I mean, who gets to say they can turn into a swarm of bugs and fly? That's so cool! I wish I could do that!"

Maybe it was because her emotional defenses were weakened from the movie, but the brunette started to cry again. He called her special. He actually called her that. He didn't care about the bugs or the Cadou. He accepted her for just the way she was, and she was incredibly happy.

"Oh Cassandra, honey." Alcina cooed as she hugged her daughter, who promptly hugged her back. Then she let go and reached towards Joseph. The man didn't hesitate to hug her as well, but neither hugged too hard due to their injuries. Bela, Daniela, and their mother joined in the hug too as they were just as touched by Joseph's words. They stayed that way for several minutes before Alcina loosened her grip.

"Well, it's getting late in the evening so I say we should start getting ready for dinner. We can talk more about the movie then."

"Sounds like a plan." Bela said "Maybe we can watch more of these in the future?"

"Can we watch one of the more goofy ones next?" Daniela asked. "I don't know if my heart can take another serious Godzilla movie so soon after seeing this one."

"You got it Dani." Joseph said. "I think I have the perfect one in mind too."

"Well, I know now to trust your instincts." The redhead replied.

"It took you this long? I started trusting his instincts when he killed that bear." Cassandra said with a smirk.

Joseph let out a sigh.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to get a nickname for that soon?"

Alcina chuckled.

"At this rate you definitely will. Alright, let's all get ready for dinner. Cassandra, we should probably change your bandages before then too."

"I'll take care of that, Alcina." Joseph said.

Alcina smiled and nodded as the group split up to ready themselves. As Joseph wheeled Cassandra back to her room, she suddenly had a realization.

"Wait, did that talk we just had about acceptance and confidence come from a Godzilla movie?" She asked with disbelief.

Joseph stopped walking as he laughed so hard he nearly fell over. It was only after he was able to breathe that he responded.

"Never underestimate the King of the Monsters, Cassie."

The brunette couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"I really need to be careful the next time I challenge you to a bet." She said with a warm smile.