Alessio visits his hometown.

He'd been to Loo Loo Land when Moxxie was a child, but he didn't have fond memories of the theme park, with its overpriced merchandise and run-down attractions. Sadly, Pietro often wanted to visit the park after hearing other kids at school talking about it. Giulia was six months old the last time they went there, when Pietro had somehow talked his father into buying a 300 souls fluffy toy Fizzy after watching Robo Fizz's show. On the other hand, Giulia was understandably traumatized by the robot and has cried ever since whenever she saw anything related to Fizzarolli.

This time, Alessio was determined to take the children somewhere else—a place he did have fond memories of. Cecilia and GaGarret asked if they could join in when they learned of his plan. On his next free weekend, they gathered over at his place and headed out. Pietro was visibly excited until they passed by Loo Loo Land and took a turn out of Notamafia Town.

"Where are we going, Papa?" he inquired, puzzled.

"We're going to a different place this time, figlio. One that's quite special for our family."

"Has your father told you about our hometown?" Cecilia inquired from the copilot seat. Pietro shook his head. "It's far smaller than Notamafia Town, but it's got a nice carnival."

"What's a carnival?"

"It's kinda like Loo Loo Land, but smaller, no big rides, and it's only open for a limited time of the year," GaGarret explained.

"Sounds boring."

"Hey, don't judge it before you see it."

Toothfin Cove was a small fishing town about half an hour away from Notamafia, with a nearby chop shop factory owned by the Knolastname Family. It was a small but tightly-knit community consisting mostly of sharks and a few other species, such as Imps and aquatic demons. And every year, the town held a small carnival that lasted an entire two weeks. It wasn't as big or impressive as Loo Loo Land, but it was certainly safer and more… genuine in wanting attendants to have a good time.

Alessio felt a pang of nostalgia as they entered the carnival grounds. Cecilia was on the same page as him. The last time they came was when they were pups, when Pop and Garet were still alive. As they moved through the food and game areas, the siblings saw both old and new faces: childhood acquaintances, neighbors, and even old teachers.

"Aren't there any roller coasters?" Pietro inquired after taking a look around the booths.

"No, but there are other rides that you might enjoy. Look, there's even a petting zoo!"

"Does it have a dragon?"

Alessio bit back an exasperated sigh. "Why don't you go take a look, filgio?"

Pietro half-heartedly followed GaGarret away towards the small corral with goat ponies, sheep, and some bunnies acting as the petting zoo.

"It hasn't changed that much, has it?" Cecilia asked in an attempt to distract her brother from the fact that his son wasn't having fun as he'd hoped.

"I think Mr. Dinkins passed away. I didn't see him in the balloon-popping booth." Alessio sighed, looking down at Giulia's stroller. Unlike her brother, she was mesmerized by her surroundings; her eyes darted from place to place, attracted by the unfamiliar lights, sounds, and smells. "Well, at least someone is having a good time." he chuckled.

Giulia reached out her little hands for anything that caught her eye. A wide, toothless smile was on her face, but no giggles emerged. Alessio sighed sadly.

"Nothing still?"

"Her pediatrician had some tests run over, but nothing seems to explain why she suddenly lost her voice… I'm getting worried, Ceci. What if she never recovers it? How will she talk to her friends? Worse still, what if other kids pick on her? You know how cruel children can be."

"Don't remind me! I spotted Reesa Pevens in the food stands when we arrived."

"The one who put chewing gum on your hair and whose head you shaved in retaliation?"

"That one!" Cecilia grunted. "I got the feeling her daughter is just like her."

While passing by the game booths, Giulia began jumping and shifting in her stroller. "What is it, bambina?" Alessio asked.

He followed his daughter's little arms to a nearby shooting gallery, particularly a small, fluffy toy dolphin hanging in the prize section. Giulia's excitement grew as they moved closer to take a look. The carnie, an old lemon shark with dark brown-gray skin, eyed the Carouso siblings.

"Alessio? Cecilia? My, my, do my eyes deceive me?"

It took Alessio a while to recognize the old man: Mr. Cinna. He worked with his father at the docks and would sometimes have dinner at their house alongside Garet's father. He always ran the shooting gallery booth during the carnival. Alessio had fond memories of competing against Garet to see who could shoot more bottles to win one of the bigger prizes.

"Mr. Cinna, it's been a while!" Cecilia greeted fondly.

"Indeed! You two have grown up a few hands. I almost didn't recognize you. How's life treating you?"

"We're getting by. We've… moved into Notamafia Town."

"That's… rather unfortunate. It ain't the best place to live unless you're involved with the Mafia."

"Tell that to me…" Alessio murmured.

The old shark's expression lit up as he noticed Giulia. "And who's this cutie?"

"This is my daughter Giulia."

"Aww, she's so adorable! She takes after her mother, I guess? Who was the lucky lady, Ale?"

Alessio sighed sadly. "Her name was Bianca. And as you probably suspect, she was a dolphin."

Mr. Cinna seemed to realize what he meant by speaking about Bianca in the past tense. "...I'm sorry."

Giulia continued to reach out for the stuffed dolphin; if she could make noise, she'd be whimpering. Alessio smiled. "How many bottles must I shoot to win that dolphin?" he asked.

"Well, it's a small toy, so two or three should be enough. You know the drill, Alessio: you get five tries!"

The consigliere placed a five-soul bill on the counter, prompting Mr. Cinna to hand him over a rifle. Since these were only meant to be used for carnival games, they were loaded with harmless—though still painful—blanks. Alessio took a deep breath as he took aim. His mind drifted back to his childhood when he'd struggle to keep a steady grip on the weapon, often throwing his aim off. Said problem disappeared after over two decades of working in the Mafia. He'd killed many people with a rifle such as this, loaded with real bullets.

PAM

CRASH!

And so, he didn't bat an eye to shoot five bottles.

"By Leviathan! Your aim has improved considerably, my boy!" Mr. Cinna laughed. "What do you do for a living? Are you a mobster or something?"

"Bodyguard." Alessio lied.

The gunshot and the glass shattering had frightened Giulia into quiet sniffles. Alessio picked her up from the stroller to calm her down.

"Aww. Don't be scared, principessa. Here, have a Fizzy!" Mr. Cinna shook a big stuffed Fizzarolli, but this only frightened Giulia further, and she hid her face in the crook of her father's neck. "She doesn't like Fizzarolli, I guess?"

"Had a not-so-nice encounter with the RoboFizz at Loo Loo Land."

"Right. I'm surprised they haven't replaced that old piece of junk." Giulia calmed down a bit once the toy Fizzy was put away, and she reached out a hand for the stuffed toy dolphin from earlier. "Aww, you liked this one? It's a dolphin, just like you!" Mr. Cinna handed the plush over to her.

Giulia spent the rest of the day touching and examining the dolphin with curious eyes. She never let go of it as they continued to explore the rest of the carnival; the few times she dropped it, she'd go into a silent fit until it was returned to her. An hour later, they met up with Pietro and GaGarret at the carnival entrance. The former was eating ice cream with one hand while the other was holding a giant Fizzarolli plush.

"Papa, look! GaGa won me a bigger toy Fizzy than the one at Loo Loo Land!"

"And technically, it only cost me ten dollars," GaGarret whispered.

In his excitement, Pietro momentarily forgot that his sister did not like Fizzarolli, and he tried showing it to her; Giulia, of course, began to cry silently at the sight of the clown, prompting Alessio to pick her up again. He shook the little stuffed dolphin in front of her.

"Giulia, look. Here's Mr. Flippers."

Cecilia laughed. "Mr. Flippers?"

"What? It needs a name."

Giulia grasped the toy and hid her face into it as she snuggled into her father's embrace.