Pietro and Dominico

Pietro Gonzales and Dominico Fuentes are two small-time Mexican thieves who loitered around Gandor and Martillo turf for an undisclosed matter of time. Significantly, in 1930 Pietro became a full immortal after drinking the completed immortality elixir. They feature prominently in the Baccano! Drama CD released in 2007.

Storyline
Pietro Gonzales and Domininco Fuentes were best friends since childhood. At some point, they moved from San Miguel in Mexico to Manhattan in New York. Not very bright, they tended to loiter/hang around Martillo and Gandor turf, but never joined any gangs themselves. Firo Prochainezo describes them as completely useless at fighting and gambling, and prone to being teased for their singular good-naturedness. Firo also recalls that the two used to get drunk and cry over nothing, and get drunk and sing over nothing, and drag him into their shenanigans.

In 1930, Pietro steals a bottle of the completed immortality elixir from Barnes Company Granary and drinks it without realizing its contents. He becomes a full immortal, unable to die by any means other than devourment via another immortal. At some point (whether soon after he consumes it or later during the following six years is unclear) Pietro discovers his immortality and panics alongside Dominico, realizing that since he cannot die, he will never be able to meet his deceased grandparents, dog, and donkey again. Furthermore, someday Dominico will die and Pietro will be alone. And so, the two friends set off in search of a way for Pietro to die.

A seemingly random individual (Elita) catches wind of their plight, and poses as a childhood friend, claiming they know a witch doctor in Mexico who can 'seal' away Pietro's immortality. They offer to introduce Pietro and Dominico to the witch doctor for an 'introduction fee,' and invites them along to Mexico. And so, in the summer of 1936, Pietro and Dominico are desperate enough to rob the profits from one of the Martillo family's gambling den (witnessed by a Gandor man, who reports the incident to his superior) and also apparently from the Gandor family too. They take the money and flee to Mexico, in order to find and pay the witch doctor's fee.

There, they are roped into Antonio Baro's theater (as it happens Elita from before works for Antonio Baro; she seduces and captures foreigners who Baro's thug ring later sells for varying prices) group and put to work as a two-man act (Antonio tells them he'll keep their money 'safe' while they wait for the witch doctor. In the meantime, they can earn their keep on stage...) Dominico plays the part of a minister who "split the grand canyon at the age of 30," and Pietro is introduced as a man who has "experienced a miracle over and over." The act goes as follows: Dominico and Pietro are escorted on stage, introduced, and a group of men in black decapitate Pietro in front of the audience. The audience than prays alongside Dominico for a miracle to happen, and lo and behold, Pietro comes back to life.

One night in particular (perhaps their 53rd performance, considering the drama CD is titled in part "Firo Prochainezo witnesses the 53rd beheading of...") goes as follows: the announcer tells the audience to pray alongside Dominico - who isn't quite sure how to actually pray but the audience dutifully copies every awkward and mispronounced word he says. At one point he mispronounces a word, and one of the executioners corrects him. He proceeds to have a confused talk with the man on stage, even as the audience continues to copy what he says. He finally snaps and shouts at the audience to cut it out. It doesn't matter in the end, as Pietro regenerates.

After their performance, Dominico and Pietro are escorted back to their dungeon, which is where Antonio keeps them so that they won't be able to leave. Some time afterwards, Firo Prochainezo (who was in the audience during their performance) is thrown into the dungeon as well. After an hour of confused disbelief on the part of Dominico and Pietro (after all, how could this Firo possibly be the Firo they knew back in New York?) Firo finally convinces them that he is the Firo they're familiar with. He explains that he came to Mexico to find them and asks them why they stole Martillo money. Pietro explains that it’s because he wants to die, and Dominico says it’s because he wants Pietro to die. Firo is understandably confused, but after some back-and-forth he learns of how Pietro had stolen a bottle of the elixir from the granary in 1930 and drunk it, thinking it wine. The two are now performing in Baro's theater while waiting for the witch doctor to show up and make good on their promise. Baro, they say, is holding their stolen money for them. Firo tells them that they have been tricked, but they do not believe him.

At some point, Isaac and Miria are thrown into the dungeon alongside Firo, Pietro, and Dominico. Again, they have a confused back-and-forth exchange with Pietro and Dominico, who are also suspicious that they are the same Isaac and Miria from New York. However, unlike with Firo, it only takes them two minutes to be satisfied that it really is Isaac and Miria. Firo broaches the topic of escape, only to be misunderstood. After an hour, he finally explains the plan in full to Pietro and Dominico. Pietro asks Firo that if they escape, can he go find the witch doctor so that he can die? Firo replies that he doesn't really see the problem with not dying, since as an immortal you can experience all the future has to offer, unlike mortals! Their conversation is interrupted by gunshots from above.

Firo realizes that if they can hear the gunshots as clearly as they are now, it must mean that the ceiling is thin enough to punch through. Firo, Isaac, and Miria listen for the thinnest part of the ceiling (Pietro and Dominico didn't really 'get' what they were supposed to do). Isaac and Miria figure out where the breaking point is, and the five of them exert force on that specific area, causing the floor to cave in and Antonio Baro (who'd been engaging in a fight with Luck Gandor) to fall into the dungeon. Firo takes Antonio hostage so that the others can escape. Luck briefly considers killing Pietro and Dominico, but Firo protests.

The group of six, plus Antonio, escape into the desert where Firo and Luck's car is stationed. Before they reach the car, however, Elita (accompanied by the showmen dressed in black) shows up and captures Pietro and Dominico with lassos, followed by Isaac and Miria. Firo and Luck reluctantly release Antonio. Now surrounded, Luck signals to Firo that they might as well die and the two are subsequently shot dead. Isaac and Miria pass out in horror, and Antonio offers Pietro and Dominico one last chance: either they can come back to work at his theatre, or they can drown in the Gulf of Mexico. After all, he sneers, a monster and a moron (using his old monikers for them) can't survive on their own.

Out of desperation, Dominico prays his stage prayer over Firo and Luck. The showmen laugh and mockingly imitate him, only for Firo and Luck to start regenerating in a happy coincidence. Firo threatens Antonio while Elita and the showman run away. What happens next to Antonio is left up to our imaginations.

Firo tells Luck the whole story, and Luck decides to use Baro's money as recompense and let bygones be bygones. Pietro and Dominico misunderstand the idiom he uses and decide they must leave, and anyway they still need to go look for that witch doctor to make Pietro mortal once more. When Firo tells them that's impossible, they ask him if there really is no way for Pietro to die. Firo decides not to tell them about devourment, and the two decide to head south and continue looking for the witch doctor. Isaac and Miria say they'll head south too, to continue looking for the Revolution.

Firo tells them to hurry back and they set out into the desert, though he wonders why on earth Pietro wants to die so badly. Pietro runs back and gives him his answer: Pietro does not want to live a life without Dominico, his constant companion since they were children. And so, Pietro leaves to join Dominico and continue on their quest for mortality.

Trivia

 * In 2002, Angelo tries to think of a place where his 'boss' Carnea will be safe. He decides that Pietro's Bar "should be good." It is possible that this Pietro is in fact Pietro Gonzales, who very plausibly might never have learned of devourment and as such is still alive and kicking in the 21st century.