Dorne knocked on the door of Nero's room.
"Come in," Nero called.
Dorne stepped inside and found Nero sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You hungry?" Dorne asked.
"I'm starving," Nero replied, "but I really should take a shower first."
"Yeah, you definitely should. You were sleeping on the ground, and you're still rocking those… uh, 'stylish' clothes," Dorne said with a laugh.
Nero gave him a deadpan look.
"How long are you going to make fun of the hole in my clothes?"
Dorne just smiled.
"Wait here—I'll bring you some new clothes."
He went to his room and opened the closet. After a moment of searching, he found a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
"Here. Change into these. I used to wear them when I was about your age. They should fit."
Nero took the clothes, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean, 'when you were my age'? How old are you?"
Dorne smirked.
"Turned 40 this year."
Nero's jaw dropped. He studied Dorne closely.
"You have to be kidding. You look more like 25… maybe 28."
"I get that a lot," Dorne said with a shrug and another smirk.
Nero laughed.
"You must be popular with the ladies."
Dorne's smile faded, replaced by a frown.
"Still single."
Nero chuckled again.
"Well, that's not surprising."
Dorne's eye twitched.
"It's not like you have anyone special either—oh wait, you don't remember."
Nero shot him a glare.
"Not cool, man."
Dorne laughed sarcastically.
"Yeah, yeah. Go take a shower. It's down the hallway."
Grumpy now, Nero got up and headed to the bathroom.
Nero walked down the hallway toward the bathroom. Halfway there, he stopped. An old goat stood squarely in his path, staring him down like a seasoned outlaw in a dusty western.
Nero stared at the goat.
The goat stared back.
The atmosphere grew tense, like a standoff between two gunmen.
"What is a goat doing here?" Nero muttered.
The goat let out a low, gravelly "Maa," as if to say, "What are you doing in my house?"
Its stance shifted. The hooves scraped against the wooden floor like a threat.
"Easy there," Nero said, holding his hands up, "Don't even think of doing that."
The goat stomped the floor with a loud thud, letting out a deeper "Baa."
"You're dead, intruder."
Then, with a wild cry—"MAAAA!"—the goat charged.
Nero bent his knees and jumped just in time, leaping over the charging beast. The goat slammed into the wall with a loud crash.
Landing cleanly, Nero turned to face it. "I warned you not to do that."
He reached a hand out toward the goat… but froze, remembering how the children reacted when they touched him. He pulled his hand back.
The goat, now stuck in the wall by its horns, wriggled and struggled to free itself.
"Give up already," Nero said. "Want me to help?"
The goat let out a smug, drawn-out "Baa-aa-aa," like it was laughing at him.
"Pfft, please. I let you win."
The sound of chaos drew Dorne into the hallway. When he arrived, he found Nero crouched with a stick, lightly poking the goat, who was still lodged in the wall and angrily bleating like it had a personal vendetta.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Dorne asked, exasperated.
Nero stood and pointed at the goat. "This crazy thing tried to kill me!"
The goat let out a barrage of "Maa! Baa! MAAAA!"
"I'll break every bone in your body, you Son of a Bitch! Just you wait!"
Dorne sighed. Long and tired.
"That's Captain Headbutt," he said, gesturing toward the furious goat. "Captain Headbutt, this is Nero Angelo. He's our new guest."
Nero blinked, looking from Dorne to the goat, then back again.
"You're joking. This lunatic lives here?"
Before Dorne could answer, the Captain yanked himself free from the wall with a snort and spun to face Nero again. His eyes narrowed.
"MAAAAA!"
"Who are you calling crazy, punk!?"
He charged again.
Nero calmly stepped aside, and Captain Headbutt slammed into the opposite wall. This time he didn't get stuck, but the wall took a beating. Shaking dust from his horns, the goat turned for another go.
Nero was ready.
Before round three could begin, Dorne stepped in and raised a hand.
"CH, if you don't behave, I'll stop giving you bananas."
Captain Headbutt froze. Slowly, he turned to Dorne. Then back to Nero.
The goat let out a final, low "Baa…"
It was slow, deep, and deliberate—like a growl wrapped in wool.
"This isn't over, punk. Watch your back."
With dignity and menace, the goat walked off.
Nero stared after him. "I think… he just gave me a warning."
Dorne, inspecting the cracked wall, groaned.
"I'm gonna have to fix that tomorrow. Again."
Then he glanced at Nero.
"Go take that shower. Food's getting cold."
Nero shook his head and continued down the hall.
Once inside, he undressed. His shirt peeled away, ragged and stained. As he looked down, his eyes fell on the faint glowing cracks that ran across his body. Like fractures of light beneath his skin.
He touched the ones on his right side.
"What the hell is even this…?" he whispered to himself.
"Who am I?"