Nothing better than a good bedtime story when you can't sleep.

Once Pietro neared eight years old, Alessio decided it was time he got his own room. He sat with the children for a talk, explaining that Pietro's body was changing and it wouldn't be… proper for them to sleep in the same room anymore.

"Can I still play with Giulia?" Pietro asked.

"Of course, figlio. You'll only be one room away." Alessio chuckled. Giulia grasped her brother's hand. "Don't worry, bambina. On the bright side, you both will get more space for your toys.

The following two weeks were hard, to say the least—in between replacing furniture and wallpapers and moving Pietro's stuff into the guest room. Cecilia and GaGarret would come and supervise the work whenever Alessio was too busy. Despite the initial reluctance, Pietro soon grew excited at the idea of having his own room. He'd even picked the wallpaper and curtains himself.

Soon, the new room was ready, and Pietro moved in. But, as Alessio imagined, Giulia wasn't taking the new transition very well.

…

"Giulia?"

Alessio quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Much like Pietro's new room, the nursery had been adapted to Giulia's own taste. A single child's bed with flowery pink duvet and pillows replaced the bunk bed. With Pietro's stuff gone, there was more space to place Giulia's little tea table, toy chest, and the peach puff GaGarret gave her as a Sinsmas present.

Alessio spotted a little trembling ball under the blankets. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently lifted the sheets. His daughter was a teary-eyed mess.

"What's wrong, bambina?" Alessio inquired, wiping her tears with his thumb.

Giulia threw herself into his arms when lightning flashed through the window. Soon after, It was followed by loud thunder, to which the dolphin buried her face into her father's chest, sobbing quietly.

Oh, right. The weather forecast announced a big storm this weekend. Pietro was a heavy sleeper, so he probably wouldn't even stir, but Alessio knew his daughter wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight.

"Shhh. Don't be afraid, my little dolphin," he said, stroking Giulia's hair and pulling her close. "Daddy's here, and I'm not leaving you."

With Giulia in his arms, Alessio went to the window and closed the curtains. It did little to calm her down as another thunder clapped loudly. She was trembling. He better find a way to distract her.

The consigliere looked around the room. The paintings Bianca and Pietro had made on the walls were the only thing that remained untouched.

"Would you like to hear a story?"

Giulia wiped his eyes, nodding. Before going to the rocking couch, Alessio fetched Bianca's story notebook from the bookshelf where Giulia had her favorite storybooks.

"Any petition?" he asked, to which Giulia pointed to a title in the index. "The Island of the Dolkril Girls? I don't think I've heard that one…"

Seeing his wife's handwriting as he skipped through the pages gave him a feeling of nostalgia. Soon, he found the story he was looking for. The title page was decorated with drawings of dolphins, no doubt courtesy of Bianca. Alessio smiled a bit.

"There was once a chief's son named Anoun Farrang. He was of the Lugenfanu Clan. He liked to sail with the adult men on the seas of Envy. The ends of the sailing canoe were beautiful, like swans' necks reaching up toward the sky. The navigator was teaching him how to steer the canoe. Soon, he would know enough and become a man like them. He was practicing with the tiller when a group of playful pink dolphins swam up to the boat.

"Ah, but they only appeared to be dolphins– they were really dolkril girls!"

Giulia had all but forgotten about the storm as she listened to the story, snuggling into her father's embrace.

"...For a long time, he waited. Then the dolphins came, diving from the ocean's salt water into the clear fresh water of the pool. A dolphin climbed out of the pool and… began taking off her skin… She'd turned into a beautiful girl…"

Alessio briefly trailed off but kept on reading to avoid raising any suspicions.

Over many days, the boy taught the dolkrils how to make fire, cook food, and how to use plants to cure illnesses. One day, the boy decided to take leave of his hosts, as his family would be extremely worried. The dolkrils, sad to see him go, sent gifts of food with him and swam with him back to his tribe's lagoon.

"The Lugenfanu clan was happy that day. Gladly, they accepted the fits from the dolkril girls, especially the gift of life."

Giulia rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"Alright, bambina. It's time to go back to bed."

As he tucked her back in bed, Giulia pointed to one of the paintings on the wall. It depicted a pod of pink dolphins swimming around a canoe with a grey dolphin demon. Alessio smiled.

"That's right. They're dolphin girls just like you, my little dolphin." he accommodated his daughter's favorite stuffed dolphin next to her just as another thunder roared. Giulia flinched. "Don't be afraid, bambina. I'll stay with you until the storm subsides, okay?"

As a final touch, Alessio opened Bianca's music box on the bedside table. The melody did its job as Giulia's sleepy eyes soon shuttered.

Alessio kissed his daughter's head. "Sweet dreams, my little dolphin."

As promised, he never left her side. He continued stroking Giulia's head, humming alongside the music box's melody.