There's times when Giulia feels like Alessio treats her differently from Pietro.
From the moment she was old enough to recognize herself in the mirror, Giulia knew she was different. She looked nothing like Daddy, Pietro, Zia Cecilia, or anyone else in the family. She was pink, not blue or gray-green. Her teeth are round and small compared to the others' sharp, pointy teeth. Her tail is wide and horizontal, unlike their tall, vertical tails. It wasn't until Daddy first showed her a photo of Mamma that she finally understood why she looked nothing like them.
Giulia was a dolphin, just like Mamma.
It didn't really make her feel better, though. It wasn't just about the looks. Everybody seemed to treat her differently compared to Pietro and other kids. There was a family tradition from way back, started by Nonno Bruno, in which they'd go to Envy to hunt seals. Giulia never got to join Daddy, Pietro, and GaGarret during said trips—on second thought, she didn't really like the idea of killing seals.
Even Daddy treats her differently from time to time. Whenever they have steak for dinner, Daddy always cuts her meat before serving it to her, whereas he and Pietro cut their steak themselves. They usually have seal meat and treats, while Giulia eats squid, crab, and seafood.
It wasn't until earlier that day that Giulia began noticing the real extent of just how differently Daddy treated her from Pietro. She'd wandered out of Mr. Crimson's manor and found her way to the target practice area, where she found Sven, Vito, and Pietro shooting straw dummies with rifles.
PAM!
Giulia flinched at the sound, mind drifting back to the incident when Zio Jawns got hurt. And yet, Pietro is still allowed to come shoot.
"I did it, Dad! I hit the bullseye!"
"You're a natural, figlio!"
"How did you do that? I can't seem to hit the bullseye!" Pietro complained.
"You just gotta practice your position and how you hold the gun."
Gathering whatever courage she could muster, Giulia pulled Sven's pants. The cobra demon looked down at her.
"Giulia? What are you doing all the way out here?" he inquired curiously. Giulia pointed at the rifle. "What do you wanna give it a try?"
Giulia nodded eagerly.
"Go away, Giulia! Guns are for boys!"
"Vito," Sven warned sternly. "That's not necessarily true. Cleo and Marcella are good shooters, and they're women."
"I don't think Papa will like it. He was really serious about it last time." Pietro told her worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'm right here to make sure nothing happens. But only one shot, okay?"
Giulia nodded. Sven checked the rifle before handing it down to her.
"Rule number one: you don't put your finger on the trigger unless you actually intend to shoot. As I said, these guns are for practice only, so they're loaded with air bullets. They won't kill, but they hurt as hell." Sven pointed to one of the straw dummies. "You're supposed to hit the red circle in the center, but it's okay if you don't. It's your first-"
PAM!
The bullet whizzed through the air and struck the bullseye.
"...Time."
"That was cool, Giulia!" Pietro laughed.
"I wonder how she'd do it with a–"
"Vito," Sven said sternly.
"What's going on?!"
Before Giulia could process what was going on, the rifle had been snatched from her grasp.
"Papa, did you see? Giulia hit the bullseye on her first try!" Pietro cried out excitedly.
"What the hell, Sven?! How dare you give my daughter a rifle?!" Daddy snapped, outright ignoring Pietro. He didn't look happy.
"It's the practice guns loaded with air bullets, Alessio. Besides, I was right next to her. She wouldn't have gotten hurt. She just–"
"I told you I don't want Giulia anywhere near this!" Daddy shoved the gun into Sven's chest.
"Well, she'll have to learn at some point, don't you think?!"
Giulia stepped back as Daddy's whole demeanor seemed to darken. Even Pietro cowered nervously even though the brunt of Daddy's anger wasn't directed at him.
"...What did you say?"
"You won't always be there, Alessio. Giulia should know to protect herself if the need ever arises."
Daddy's eyes narrowed, pupils turned into slits. "Don't fucking tell me how to raise my daughter."
With that, Daddy grabbed her hand and took her away from the shooting range back to the bedroom.
"Stay here until it's time to go home, Giulia. We'll talk about this when we get home." he gently told her. There was no yelling or scolding, as he would have done with Pietro. He merely closed the door quietly.
Giulia crossed her arms. Daddy didn't even congratulate her on hitting the bullseye on her first try. She was sure that, had Pietro been the one to do so, he would have gotten pats on the head and words of praise.
It's not fair.
The words replayed in her head as she curled up on bed, sniffling bitterly.
…
She must have dozed off at some point. When she woke up, she was in the car backseat just as Daddy opened the door.
"It's okay, bambina. We're home."
Giulia was so drowsy that she let him pick her up and carry her to her room despite her anger toward him. By the time they got upstairs, Giulia was half awake. She refused to look her father in the eye as he helped her bathe and change into her pajamas.
"Giulia, please look at me." he finally said, and she reluctantly complied. "I know you're mad at me, but try to understand. You're only six. You shouldn't be playing with guns; even if they're loaded with blanks, you could get seriously hurt. What kind of father would I be if I let my six-year-old daughter play with those things? Do you remember that time when Jawns got hurt because the two of you played with a pistol?" Giulia felt a shiver down her spine. Of course, she still remembered it. Daddy placed his hand on her cheek. "I don't know what I'd do if that happened to you, bambina."
"How come Pietro gets to play with guns?" Giulia signed dryly. It seemed to catch Daddy off guard.
"He's ten years old, Giulia. He'd older, and he can be more careful. But in any case, he'd asked me if he could go with Sven and Vito to the shooting range first. He's not allowed to play with guns without proper supervision." Daddy sighed. "Promise me you won't try anything like this again without asking me first, okay?"
Giulia wasn't satisfied with the answer, but she still signed 'I promise.' Daddy smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Cheer up, bambina. We're having hot dogs for dinner tonight."