ah... i suppose i owe you guys a bit of story time...
take a seat... and i'll tell you how Peppino risked it all to save my brother.
(A few months ago...)
...and ever since, he's been wearing that red outfit. Says it's because he wants to distinguish himself between other Peppinos, but... you know. Might be lying.
I can't thank Secret enough. She's the reason John's alive n' well... can't ever repay him properly.
Peppino did exactly what he was told to do. Everyone left that tower alive. I don't think he could live with himself if he let anything else happen like that, even if he had to lose a bit more of himself doing this.
So I clean the shop for him every weekend. It's the least us Pillars can do for him.
Peppino, I’m sorry we upset you. But just know you’re a good person and I’m proud of what you did. You sacrificed your time and risked your life to save everyone and that is very selfless of you. You shouldn’t feel bad about doing something so good without any benefit to yourself. I tip my nonexistent hat to you
...gggguhh. S-sorry. That was. Uh. Super embarrassing.
...
...Thanks, for, uh. You know. Being... my crutch, yet again.
...Will you be good to work tomorrow?
...(shrug)
There might be stressors. I don't want you spiraling.
I can do it.
...
...Uh, if I need to-- need to leave, though, I will.
I don't want you to be alone at home.
What, I'm not gonna do anything. I'll go straight to bed.
Peppino...
The fuck you want me to do then? We can't just-- close the store for tomorrow. We need the cash. And we gotta take care of the weirdos living in our vents.
You should call Gerome.
A-- AH? WHAT? Why?! O-oni--
RrrrRrrr. Hang on. Hear me. You should call him, because this is making you feel like this. Maybe you two can have a talk about it.
Like FUCK am I ever gonna face those Pillars after hearing this today. Oni, that's a horrible idea. I can't do that.
...Gerome still cleans the shop, every weekend. Does the blood and stone on your hands still stain him? Even if it does, what does he do then? He still brings his broom and mop to our Pizzeria. He dedicates himself. No malice in any crevice no matter where you want to find it.
... What did you just--!? When did you get so--...
...
...(sniffles)... y'can't just.. assume that... he-- he.. could... he could be doin' this because he.... he...
...
(hic) good-- good god.. Oni, I don't know, it--
...Wouldn't do any harm to try. But only if you want.
Christ... (sob)
RrRrrrr... sorry... here...
Don't--
?
--Don't leave this spot with me. I need to think for a while.
Rrrrr.
...
...I don't want to alarm you, but I also remember.
(sharp inhale) Fucking-- no, seriously? O-oni that REALLY doesn't help right now-- wh-what do you MEAN you remember? What do you remember?!
The dread you felt. The grief. Terror. Remorse. The rotting dark muck inside of you every night that prevented you from sleeping. All of it--
(hyperventilating) oh god WHO ELSE r-remembers-- WHO ELSE-- shit-- SHIT--
RRrRrrrrrrRRrr...!! Peppino..! Here, here, hey!
YOU LIVE WITH ME AND YOU KNOW I WAS A COWARD! AND SPED THROUGH W-WITHOUT THINKING! I COSTED A LIFE, I--
I know. You don't have to believe me right now, but you need to know that this is okay. I do not hate you. Nobody hates you. Not even the ones that caused you such torment.
(harsh, heavy breathing)
Everything you have done outweighs the loss that could have been had. A miracle to a privilege to even be able to make this world even better. You took it. You did it. Peppino, you're amazing.
Red was drafted into the war at age 19. He was looking forwards to going to art college, but he was sent away to do service (and, in the words of his dad, it would "do him some good" in comparison to the dreams he had for his future)
His personality, as we know it, was a completely different palette and structure before the conscription, which lasted 5 years.
The Second Lap event and its transpiration of John's death triggered Red so badly that, as soon as Secret proposed the rewind, he jumped on it right away. It is unknown what exact event during the war caused such a visceral reaction, but it seems like it was a very similar situation that was out of his control.
This may explain his residual guilt from the circumstances, even if it's been forgiven and fixed. Whatever transpired in those 5 years were enough to shatter his perception of morality and whatever redemption he can receive.
Not even his family knows the full breadth of what he's gone through, and he refuses to tell. The ascension of Pizza Face in the Pizza Tower and his threat to destroy his Pizzeria-- the only thing with merit he has left-- sent Peppino into a cathartic, well-deserved frenzy where he let out all of his dread and fear and anger down to the very last bricks of the place.
In this burst of liberation Peppino saw it fit to rescue all of the Bosses and NPCs in the Tower upon his escape, to in a way "correct" what he had otherwise not been able to during his time in service.
Heard you needed help cleanin' the place. Looks like it needs it...
It's-- not the weekend, you don't gotta do anything. Really.
Well... I'm here. It seemed serious, so I thought I'd drop by.
Eehhh.... (screw it,)
What's on your mind, sonny?
I-- it. It's... (sighs) Oni and some others told me something. It really-- really flipped my world over. I just need to know.
..?
Do-- do you and John remember... um. When...
...
...
...
...Like, remember when I went through the Tower, and... crumbled it, like the first time, and... ssssooomeone didn't. Make it?
John.
(cringes) Yeah.
(nodding.) I do.
(grips his head harshly, inhaling slowly.) ...Fuckin'... Hell. I-- I didn't... I didn't know you'd remember something like that. I'm so--
Sonny,
Eh--?
...It ain't your fault. Y'know that.
I-- (chuckles) I actually don't know that, I'll be honest. It's very hard for me to believe that.
Believe what you want, Pep... Me n' John owe you big-time. You could've stayed in bed n' pretended like everything was alright, but... Secret told us. You took her deal.
...
You went back, you tripped and fell n' blistered yourself through all those portals again. You didn't wait around, you went straight for it. Over... n' over... n' over again... It pained me seein' you so stressed out and bloody n' stuff.
I was pretty angry. (Chuckles)
Everyone could see it. Hmhm. By god, you were unstoppable when you got back up there. It was amazin' seein' you do it.
...
...So don't stress anymore, Pep. Even if you didn't have the chance to go back n' get Johnny for me...
Don't say it--
I forgive you. Really, I do. N' so does John.
Let it out. I gotcha. No one can hear ya.
B-BASTARDO! BBW-- DON'T JUS' SSAY STUFF LIKE THAT! I'M A BAD MAN! A BAD, BAD MAN! BBW-BWAAAHHH!
There, there...
(HIC) (SOB)
Alright. Listen'up, Pep... head on home. I've got the keys. I'll finish cleanin up shop with the others... I think someone's waitin' for you, too.
