Alex realized that yes indeed, one could eat pizza every single day for dinner. Provided it was made my Nina.

[You have ingested a Rare Grade Buff!]

[Alex's Special Pizza Buff - TIME REMAINING – 2:59:45]

This is a Unique Rare Grade Buff crafted specifically for Alex. Perfectly cooked with a leopard spotted undercarriage, Nina made this pizza just for you. The ingredients may be strange because that's what you get when you try and be a hipster with your pizza. For the remaining time, you receive:

[+40% Health & Resistance to anything garish]

[+10% Cool Factor. Who defines cool? Exactly. If you think too hard about it, it's instantly uncool.]

[+1 Use of Relentless Persistence]

Unending Persistence – Mould thought, care, and willpower into a resource of unending persistence. Become the Platonic Ideal of a Deliverer. Through rain or shine, the delivery is always made on time.

[+1 Satisfied Belly]

[+1 Temporary Level to Running]

You also permanently receive:

[+5% Distributable Permanent Skill Upgrade]

Only those in Nino and Nina's Good Books receive this upgrade. Due to your friendship affiliation, you have received an additional:

[+5% Distributable Permanent Skill Upgrade. Holy cow, Batman.]

"Guh," Alex moaned as he finished his third slice. "This should be on the permanent menu. I'm a bloody genius."

Francesca sucked her thumb of the remnants of her own piece. "Si, I agree with him on this one, Nina. Sorry."

The old woman thought about it, nodding slowly, before picking up a floating slice and chomping it herself. Like all grandmothers, she didn't often eat her own food. Yet by some universal law that extended post System integration her food was always excellent. Beyond excellent. So stupendous is undermined the fabric of possibility.

Soon as she took a bite, her eyebrows shot up. "Si…Yes…we can made more regular. These flavours I no expect to work."

Alex nodded and finished his fourth slice in three bites flat, quietly pleased that his specialty order turned out so good. Sure, she had the best ingredients and System only knew how many years of experience. She might be a literal cooking Lich who sold magical pizza. But Nina hadn't figured that potato chips, maple syrup, and breakfast sausage would make such a good combo, now, had she?

Plus it makes up for such a terrible breakfast.

From the front, Nino's voice boomed out.

"Picture?" they heard him yell over the dinner rush. "Influencer? What is influence?"

He poked his head into the back. "Ma—Francesca, what is influencer? Qui eh, sponsor? What is affiliette marketing? I no need marketing. Is already busy."

Alex snickered as Francesca huffed and stormed toward the front out house. By the looks of the influencers hiding behind their phones and ring lights, she was about to tear into them.

It had been an extremely busy Friday shift since he left the Safety Spires. Annoyingly, Britanii hadn't seemed the least bit peeved at Snu's wet goodbye kiss. Though she had snorted when Snu pinched his butt on the way out.

The front of house line extended out the front door, though it wasn't a problem for Nina to keep up with the onslaught of orders. It helped that dough beat and stretched itself at her command, sauce spread perfectly, and whatever ingredients were ordered aligned themselves under a layer of cheese. Anything that needed special attention got her magical touch, and Nino dealt with the customers and the ancient rotary phone.

He'd run through Little Jaimica, dodging scooters and graffiti-covered streetcars to drop a stack of pies at a jerk-chicken joint run by an old woman cooking out of a drum barrel. Her tip had been a single bead necklace that was warm to the touch. Then it was off to Ripley's Aquarium, home to magical fish, for a tour guide who didn't tip but insisted Nino's was 'legendary in the city'. Since when? He'd wondered. Delivery after delivery, he and Francesca crushed orders, piling up loot and pocketing Credits.

Pretty damn good Friday shift.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Francesca continued yelling at the influencers in broken English about how Nino's did not need marketing. Did they not see the line?

"Alex?" Nina called, which brought his attention back to her. "Can I talk you something?"

"Oh, yeah," Alex tilted his head. "What's up?"

She floated over, looking meek since the first time since he'd met her. "What you tell us about Britanii, what she say about bracelet. You certain she use those word? Even Mr. Mystical?"

He gulped. Of course, he'd spilled his guts to them at the start of the shift. Francesca had been unbothered, waving off a cursed bracelet and a 'stupid ghost'. But at the mention of Brody's situation, the old couple looked at each other nervously.

"Yeah, all of it," Alex looked back to the front to see Francesca still scolding the scammer influencers. Sounded like she insisted they were the new age mafia. "I'm just…I don't know. Mr. Mystical had always been nice to me? I don't understand why he's doing this."

"Esatto," Exactly Nina shook her head. "He's never been a friend…but he never like this. Danger, yes. He a ghost. But this?" She shrugged. "This is not normal for him. I know him even when he was alive, you know."

"Mr. Mystical? Really?"

"Si." She smiled sadly. "Is not my place to say. It is his story. But…this is no like him." Her hand rose to his cheek. "Just be safe, okay? Me and Nino will do our part too."

"But you can't leave here," Alex answered. "How can you help if I need you out there?"

Nina smiled mischievously, almost evilly. Ice flashed behind her eyes, but there was a loud banging from the front of house. Francesca physically hauled two shrieking influencers by their scruffs, muttering Italian curses as she tossed them out the door.

"Trust me," Nina laughed to herself. "If need, we always help."

Alex's stomach twisted in nervousness, but not about Nina. About the whole situation. Yet lingering in his self-doubt that had started to creep in, there was trust. If Nina said it would be okay, then hopefully it would be.

"Last one of the night," she pulled her hand from his cheek. "Dungeon. You ready? This Boss…interesting."

"I'm always ready for another delivery." He answered, and he was. Running through something difficult would help distract him from the whirlwind of danger that circled like sharks.

Nina snapped her fingers, which sounded over the hubbub of the shop's cheers at the tossed influencers, and Alex received his notification.

[A New Job has been assigned by your Employer - Nino's Pizza]

[Deliver the Pizza to the Customer - Time Remaining – 57:11]

[50 Credit Reward for Completion, along any and all tips from Customers]

[Customer: Honest Freeda – Accountant of Honest Ed's]

"Honest Eds?" Alex said in awe as a piping how box floated over. "Woah. That place was going to torn down…like right before the System came, right? It's famous! For real famous!"

Nina laughed and watched fondly as Nino and Nina posed for pictures from the shoppers in the front. Normal customers, not influencers, wanted to snap a pic of the pair. "Tell Freeda I say hi. Been too long."

"Ok, I know you know all the Dungoen Bosses. But even her? You know know her?"

Nina turned back to Alex and nodded. "Of course I do. I would see every time I shop there."

Alex shook his head in amazement. He wished he got the opportunity to shop at the legendary store pre-System. There were countless forums about the before times, and every single one said Honest Ed's and its multiple floors and winding, endless tables of cheap wares had truly been something to behold. A staple of the community with a flashy orange sign to boot.

"Now go!" Nina shooed him. "Before Francesca get mad you take the Dungeon of the night."

Alex prepared himself in front of the espresso portal. His new Skill, [Planar Skating], was a tough nut to crack, but slowly he was getting there. And what a boon it had been. Without saying goodbye, he leaped into the portal for his last delivery of the night.

Nina watched her delivery boy jump without fear into the espresso portal. Every single time it surprised her. The young man had impressed her countless times, but it was his fearlessness and persistence that continued to stun her. Alex might not think he was much, but she prided herself on being one of the most powerful Liches in Canada, and one thing all Liches were good at was noticing potential.

Still, she was nervous.

Looking over to the front to see Francesca and Nino yapping up the customers, she pulled out her necklace and kissed the charm for good luck. It was older than she was. Older than her mother. Even older than her grandmother's grandmother great great great grandmother. Passed down for generations through the matriarchal line, it granted power even prior to the System

The charm was pure twenty-four karat gold in the shape of a chili pepper. It was one of their many secrets, and what it represented would only be shared between Nina and her husband.

"Che nessun male tocchi la mia famiglia." May no evil touch my family. She whispered to herself and kissed the chili pepper three times. Sighing, she turned and went back to cooking for the long line of customers, lost in thought. The charm always reminded her of her mother, and about the secret of her line of women.

She came from a long string of malocchio witches, more commonly known as Italian voodoo. Women who could twist curses and bless spaces. Before the System, before Essence had a name, magic already ran through her like hot oil. It ran through every woman in her line as far back as civilization itself. Her ancestors whispered in dialects older than Rome, and taught her to weave protection in her home, her family, and her food. People feared them, of course, but they also came for help. The charm? She didn't need it. But it connected her to her past.

And tonight the charm was sending a warning to her. She slotted it away, back under her flour-covered flower apron.

"Amore mio? My Love? Nino's voice came gently from behind her. "You okay?"

"No." She shook her head. "Something is not right."

He swallowed and lowered his voice. "The old ways…they sing?"

"The old ways warn," she murmured back.

Rather than ramble another story, Nino took her small hand in his. She loved his big hands and his firm grip. He didn't need to say any words. Nina knew that he loved her with all his heart. The man had crawled through hell for her, quite literally. Who had even brought her—

"You give him the dungeon?" Francesca's voice cut through their moment.

Nino pulled his hand away and shrugged. "Well, you were busy with the customers."

"He's not a better at delivery than me, is he?" She asked sadly.

Nina rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she wanted to smack Nino's niece upside the head. "Of course he is better. No be stupid."

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