Giulia hates thunder and lighting. Luckily, Alessio has a gift for his daughter.
While Greed's storms aren't as deadly as Wrath's flaming twisters, they do take their toll on the area and population. Electrical storms, in particular, are known to cause blackouts in Notamafia town and other major cities in the ring—sometimes simultaneously, courtesy of cheap wires and materials. Despite Bianca's house being located in one of the 'nicer' neighborhoods, it wasn't exempt from blackouts every now and then.
Tonight was one such occasion. Alessio murmured under his breath, cursing the climate. Giulia was wailing nonstop in one arm while his free hand was lighting up candles around the house. Of all the times for the lights to go out…
"Shhh, it's alright, bambina." he cooed, bouncing his frightened daughter gently to no avail. She hates lighting and thunder.
Once he was done with his task, Alessio returned to the nursery to check up on Pietro. Unlike his baby sister, the pup didn't seem to mind the storm outside. The consigliere pulled up his starry blankets to tuck him in further, then hurriedly walked out with his wailing daughter before she woke him up.
For the next half an hour, he tried every lullaby and nursery rhyme he could think of. But just when it seemed Giulia would soothe down, another thunder would frighten her again. Or maybe it was his singing voice? It's never been his forte.
Oh won't you come with me
Where the ocean meets the sky
And as the clouds roll by
We'll sing the song of the sea
Giulia didn't budge. Alessio sighed. That one didn't work either. It worked wonders with Pietro back when he was a baby, especially when Bianca sang… Now that he thought about it, Bianca sang a different song to Giulia. She told him it was a Dolkril folk song when he asked her about it. Alessio berated himself for not learning it.
Unless…
Alessio returned to his room, Giulia tucked in one arm. He searched for an small, dusty box in his wardrobe and brought it back to his bed. His hand trembled slightly as he touched the lid. Part of him had hoped to never open it again. It just… hurt too much. But hearing his baby girl cry like this and being unable to comfort her hurt even more. Taking a deep breath, Alessio removed the lid.
An ornate, rose gold music box was hidden inside. He ran a finger down the dolphin markings on the lid.
"Giulia, look," Alessio carefully lifted the music box and showed it to his daughter. Her wailing subsided into sniffles. "See this music box? I had it commissioned for your mamma for our anniversary. Its melody is from a song she'd sing to you."
With another deep breath, he opened the lid. Every note of that melody made his heart ache and reminded him of his beloved wife. But soon he realized that Giulia wasn't crying anymore. She cooed and reached out for the music box, cooing. Even when a thunder clapped seconds later, she didn't seem scared anymore. Alessio smiled and began to rock her in his arms, humming along the music box. At last, Giulia yawned and snuggled into her father's protective embrace before going into a well-deserved slumber.
As he took his daughter back to the nursery, Alessio remembered to bring the music box along. Once he tucked Giulia into her cradle, he carefully accommodated the still-playing trinket next to her.
BOOM!
Giulia stirred. Alessio got worried when she let out a few sobs, but she calmed down shortly after. Just to be safe, though, Alessio decided to stay with her until the storm subsided.
He stared at the music box for a while. Even though he'd tucked it away, he never really forgot its beautiful melody. He just… he couldn't bear to hear such a memento of his beloved wife. But seeing Giulia's reaction… It was, perhaps, the closest thing to her mother singing to her. With a warm smile, he stroked her cheek with his thumb before kissing her forehead.
"Sweet dreams, amore mio."