>>5856815“Of course! How couldn’t I? They’re choosing to risk their lives by putting their trust in me. I owe it to them to at *least* consider them family, don’t I? Seline too, now that she’s under my protection”
A couple more quacks.
The cloth is removed and measured with a tape, before another piece of fabric is applied to his leg. Friedrich notices that Tony has taken off his coat, and can be seen wearing a plain white button-up with its sleeves rolled up. Truly, this old man is as gaunt as they come
“And why yes, dear Andrea has a much better eye for sewing than I do. Why in the past forty years he’s never gotten a pin wrong!
If anything, rather than him being my eyes, I am his hands”
—
Friedrich blinks and tries not to fidget. "You truly believe zat? I cannot say I agree. It is not vhat I vas accustomed to. Family is blood. Ze rest..." cannot be trusted, they will not tell you the truth, you cannot tell them the truth. Betrayal is inevitable. Except... No, not even in this city. It was wrong to have thought he might have found something different here.
"Your pet is a smart duck Mr. Ve... vait, I must haff misheard. Did you say forty or fourteen?"
—
The old man shrugs, then chuckles
“What’s family to ya, lad? What does family do? People ya can put yer secrets out for, people ya can help knowing they’s gonna help ya- why, Maggie just repaid me for her dress! I didn’t even *ask* to be repaid!”
Pants done. Another piece of fabric goes on the German man’s arms, more squawks, the chalk breaks and has to be replaced
“Ah, devil take my old shaking hands”
As Tony turns around to grab a new piece of chalk, he smirks to himself at Friedrich’s question
“Why forty of course! Andrea has been with me since before I left my beloved home!”
—
"Family... it is as you say, ja. Family is someone you can trust." The younger man stares away, refusing to meet Tony's eyes as he speaks.
He lets out a quiet, mirthless chuckle. "You und... Andrea haff been togezer für a long time... Vat books do you prefer Mr. Vespucci? You vere reading one vhen I entered, ja?"
