Inbox (Kaisou)

[schoolingfish]

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[prontissimo]

[ Oh god. Lie to keep the egg off his face, pretending he didn't get mad first, backfires and the egg is still on his face, because he made the guy mad at them. Maybe it would've been better to admit that he was the one who got mad first...

He wraps his arms around himself and tosses his gaze askance poutily, pausing for a silent, guilty beat. He does think of one silver lining, sort of, perking up to face Luca once more, offering this saving grace hesitantly. ]

...Well— technically he only knows about me, and he's only mad at me... He doesn't know about you. Y-You're still safe. So— I'll figure something out. You're still okay.

[ If he can at least keep Luca out of the spotlight of Katsuki's suspicion — totally oblivious that Katsuki's already pieced that together, too — then he'll feel a lot better about the situation... But how likely is it for Luca to stay uninvolved? Not very likely. ]

[schoolingfish]

Alberto...I want you to be safe. I want you to be okay.

[Sure, people will also probably figure out that he's a sea monster, too, if Alberto's exposed, but that's not Luca's biggest concern. He wants Alberto safe, and he's not going to throw aside Alberto's safety for his own. Not again.]

If this ends up being a problem, we'll figure something out.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto goes quiet a long moment, staring at Luca with an earnest look, his brow knotted in thought. He throws his gaze away, though, as he draws his legs up into himself on the cushion and wraps his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees. ]

...It's just— ...What else don't we know, Luca? Do humans have a secret tail they never talk about or something?! This came out of nowhere. Something so small and stupid... It freaked me out.

[ "It freaked me out" being his subtle admission that he actually was the first one to get mad... ...which Luca probably already assumed he was lying about anyway. But it's a rare and genuine moment for Alberto to be so transparent, though he's still visibly uncomfortable letting himself be so vulnerable as to admit he's scared... not in so many words, of course. ]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto gives him another skeptical look, but sinks down into the tub in resignation. ]

...Fine. Let's try it. What do gooses even eat? Fish? Like seagulls? I mean— seagulls eat almost anything, though...

[ He's not wasting good pasta on this goose, that much he knows already. ]

[schoolingfish]

I have no idea what gooses eat.

[His knowledge of geese is strictly limited to being chased by one.]

Probably some kind of meat with how much it wanted to bite me, though.

[schoolingfish]

[It freaked him out? Luca sighs.]

You freaked out on him?

[Well, sharks. Well, Alberto already seems upset enough at this mistake, there's no point in making it worse. He doesn't want to punish Alberto for finally being transparent.]

It's fine. It'll be fine. We just...we need a trusted human. Like Giulia. Someone who can look at the stuff we're saying and doing and look at us and let us know if there's anything that'll give us away.

[prontissimo]

Yeah, it definitely has a taste for blood.

[ He narrows his eyes at Luca and lays the dramatics a little more thickly. At least for how aggravated he is, he's still keeping his good humor about him. He idly dumps another couple bowlfuls of water over his face, leaning his head back again as they chat. ]

We've still got that chicken in the freezer, I think. That's not weird, right? Fish eat fish. Birds probably eat birds. Cuz I'm not giving it the salami. Or the prosciutto. We're not rewarding it for attacking us, ha...

[schoolingfish]

No, that's not weird at all! I mean, gooses and chickens are totally different animals, just like sharks and minnows! I bet the goose will eat chicken.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto starts at the question, looking back to Luca, but rephrases to stay on the defense, sounding slightly dejected — though the wash of guilt over his face betrays his half-lie. ]

I didn't say I freaked out on him, I said it freaked me out. S'different.

[ But barely. What's more, he's also not saying that he didn't freak out on him... because he definitely did. Alberto sighs a little, in turn, and throws his gaze away once more, still staying curled up against himself. ]

...Have you met anyone you trust like that yet? I mean— We could tell Signor Bruno, but... Boh. He doesn't need to worry about our problems... I think I already worry him enough.

[ This, too, betrays Alberto's true feelings. He's been creeping toward a more parental dynamic with Bruno without Alberto even realizing it, and that he's worrying about making Bruno worry about him, shows that on some level he's thinking in that direction. Healthy hot take or not, and entirely off the mark, it's still telling. Right now, though, they've got bigger fish to fry (so to speak) than Alberto's father issues. ]

[schoolingfish]

Right.

[At this point, it doesn't matter. No matter whose fault this is, there's someone who knows their secret that's mad at them. They need a plan for if he decides to share what he knows, which means they need to be perfect humans. At least until this blows over. Then Alberto mentions Bruno.]

I think telling Bruno would be a great idea. He's probably going to worry about you no matter what, but if we tell him then at least he knows what's going on.

[At least, if Luca's own parents are any indication there's no avoiding his worry, and it definitely seems like it's a parental role Bruno is taking on. He also knows that keeping Bruno in the dark about what's going on with them won't make him worry any less, and if Bruno wants to look after Alberto (which he seems to), he won't be able to do that without all the information.]

[prontissimo]

All right, then let's do that. You bring fish and I'll bring chicken.

[ He pauses, before a thought occurs to him. ]

...Think I'm supposed to cook it? Or just— give it to him?

[ Even if they googled "can geese eat raw chicken breast..." they wouldn't find an answer. Because no one but these children has ever wanted to find this out. ]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto goes silent a long moment, tightening his hug around his legs. He doesn't want Bruno to worry about him no matter what. If he's worried about him, it means Alberto's messing up, as far as Alberto's concerned. He worried Massimo because Massimo saw him messing up from the very moment they met, and it only got worse as time went on. His dad worried about him blowing their cover if he were to take Alberto to the human town, or worried about Alberto hurting himself doing something reckless while he was away — just generally often worried about all the things Alberto might "ruin." Between that mentality ingrained in his mind still somewhere deep down, setting Massimo's boat on fire his last night at home, and how badly he screwed up this thing with Katsuki... accepting that Bruno might want to worry about him is a distant and foreign concept. Alberto isn't entirely in tune with this parental dynamic developing between them, not sure quite what his friendship with the older man counts as, but he knows that he doesn't want things to change, and that he wants to make Bruno proud by being a good kid — that he wants to do it right for once. And grownups aren't supposed to worry about good kids, because, you know — they're good. Alberto still has a long way to come in his perception about these things — and a long way to come in how to express them, too. Even to Luca. When he speaks up, his tone sounds more dejected, and he dodges the matter entirely. ]

...What about you? Who would you tell?

[schoolingfish]

The goose is a vicious, wild carnivore.

I don't think it wants the meat cooked.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto barks a laugh at that, sliding a little further down into the waters of the tub comfortably as it fills up more. ]

Hah! You're right. And I don't want to cook for it! Perfetta~

[ He sticks a finned foot out of the water and uses it (with a couple clumsy, slippery tries) to turn off the faucet. He wiggles to get comfortable, adjusting his tail, and looks to Luca with a lazy smile after a beat. ]

So how was your day, Luca...? Assuming it was better than mine. Hah. D'you go to the practice school again?

[ Cuz that's what summer school is for, right, practicing to go to school for real...? As far as Alberto's concerned, it must be. At least for kids like them. ]

[schoolingfish]

I did, yeah! It was fun. We're learning math stuff!

[As far as Luca's concerned, Alberto's probably right about it being practice school. He lights up when he talks about it, preferring to think of school far more than he wants to think of that horrible goose.]

[schoolingfish]

[Of course, Luca doesn't have the same background with people worrying about him, because his mom was a worrier. She worried if he messed up, sure, but she also worried if he didn't. She worried when boats went by and he hid just like she said, and she worried when he so much as mentioned the surface. So for him, people worrying about each other was just a thing that people might do as a sign that they cared about the person, and keeping them from worrying was a futile endeavor. As for who he'd tell...]

I don't know. Luz seems pretty nice. She kind of reminds me of Giulia. Maybe her?

oof, sorry for the long delay!

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto cocks a brow, having of course learned only rudimentary maths from his father — so he's not really sure how much else there is to be learned... He has no concept of anything beyond basic arithmetics. His father certainly wasn't even quizzing him on square roots and exponents, let alone anything more complicated like Luca's probably learning in school. But nevertheless, he's supportive and glad for Luca's sake. And hesitant (read: resistant) as he is about joining any kind of formal education, his father's hodgepodge lessons not really leaving the best impression on him, there is a growing part of him that wonders how different it might be... He's interested in what human kids their age should know by now, curious what all Luca is studying — and maybe a tiny part of him that feels some competitive need to keep up with him. Even if Alberto doesn't have any intention just yet of joining Luca in school, he also doesn't want to be left in the dark behind him.

He offers a wan but encouraging smile after a beat, then lifts a leg out of the water lazily, stretching his muscles with both hands tugging against the sole of his finned foot. Even snugly relaxing in a bathtub, Alberto's not able to keep still for more than a second. And unconsciously, it also sort of helps distract him from his many looming question marks... ]

Yeah? I didn't think math stuff could be fun, ha... Is it real different than Giulia's school in Genova? Or are you learning pretty much the same stuff?

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto sits up when Luca mentions Luz's name, raising his brows. But when Luca likens her to Giulia, finally Alberto perks up a little, a hint of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. ]

Heh... I thought that the first time we talked, too! Luz would definitely get along with Giulia, ha.

[ Reserving comment on whether that's wholly a good thing, but it overall sounds like it is now. Alberto's gained maturity enough to have let go of most of his jealousy and resentment toward Giulia — most of it. He's young, and feelings linger; Giulia was his second friend ever apart from his dad and Luca, and it turned sour between them pretty quick — not that Giulia had much hand in that. They'd resolved things by the end, but it was primarily oriented around their mutual love for Luca, rather than for each other. They didn't get much time to make up themselves, after all, before she and Luca headed off for school; even after the race, Alberto spent most of that night privately arguing with Luca's mom, after he'd sent Giulia off to distract Luca on the Vespa. And while he had a more-or-less great time living with her dad, it was short-lived, because so soon after those couple weeks, he ended up here in Kaisou — so it's all not quite fresh anymore, but... also not quite healed. He's still grateful to Giulia as a friend — but really for Luca's sake. There's a small part of him that feels some undue triumph that Luca lives with him now, albeit by some cosmic chance, so it's been even easier to move on from grumping about a complicated friendship. Giulia's a good kid, she's fun, she's cool, she's smart, she's kind, she's funny, she's an expert on human-ing, y'know, being a human — Giulia's great! ...So if she were here, it'd probably still be annoying.

But he's learning to be less needlessly competitive, and especially wants to put deliberate effort into checking himself now that he and Luca have been reunited. They don't need a repeat of Portorosso. But for all the similarities they both apparently see between Luz and Giulia, Alberto has no reason to be threatened by Luz. She's not going to "take Luca away" from him. They've butted heads already, but in a funny, friendly, challenging way — teasing like friends do. Which is nice. New. Luz is pretty great, too, but without that undertone of unnecessary rivalry, there's nothing annoying about how great she is. Still, one important element hangs in the air, and Alberto opens his frame up a little, sitting normally again, crosslegged now, shedding some of that pouty-ness slowly in a weak attempt to lighten up. He's eager to move away from the topic of Bruno or Giulia, anyway. ]

We could tell Luz, but the thing is: I've never met her-met her. We've only ever talked on the Everything Machine. Weird, right? So we should probably, eheh— meet... before I'm like, "Heyyy, by the way, guess what, I'm not human!"

That's okay. I sometimes lose track of and later find threads.

[schoolingfish]

It's similar stuff. I mean, of course there are some differences in what they're teaching us, but it's similar. It feels a bit easier than Giulia's school? But that might just be because I've had a couple of weeks to learn the basics before I got here. Oh, and the building is way bigger.

[schoolingfish]

Oh, yeah. That's probably a good idea. We need to have her over so you can get to know her better, then we can decide if we want to tell her.

[Luca, of course, has already met her and is already in the 'pro telling Luz' camp, but he understands why Alberto would want to meet her in person, first.]

wanna wrap this one up?

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto gives a lopsided, half-lidded smile, seeing Luca perk up now, too. Alberto's still inwardly pretty bothered and conflicted about what all just happened with Katsuki, but it's nice being with Luca again and seeking solutions this time. He's determined to handle this better than when things went awry in Portorosso. Worst day of his life, hands down, even more than the day his father left or the day he arrived here, and that painful guilt, too, isn't fully healed yet, either — and tonight, just got inflamed by pulling more stupid shit again, like he did before... He doesn't want his temper to win this time, especially when Luca's taking this so much in stride and they're both even smiling now. Alberto's basically obligated to match him.

So, at long last, after a deep sigh, he spreads out again and stands up, pushing his hands decisively off his knees as he does. Done moping; they're seeking solutions now, so it's time to get back to cleaning up what remains of the broken glass — some physical activity to channel everything this conversation's left him to chew on, a means to fidget and process. He stands still for a moment, though, with his typical contrapposto pose, one hand on his hip, the other gesturing limply along as he talks, his usual good humor coming back into his voice again as some nerves calm. ]

All right. Then that's that. We'll have her over for dinner or something soon, yeah? Put her to the test, heh.

[ He crinkles his nose and eyes teasingly at Luca, smiling a little wider now; he's just joking, but, essentially, that is kind of the premise this date will be under. Alberto had a good first impression of Luz, but now he figures it's best to maybe even be extra friendly next time they talk, to help open this door. Even if she's not the one, for some reason it's decided that they feel they can't tell her? Awkward as that'd be, at least he'd still have a new friend anyway. But he's got a feeling Luca's probably on the mark with this one — if only because he knows he's gotta trust Luca's sense more this time around. Portorosso wasn't making him crazy, he was right about everything in the end, after all; why should Kaisou be any different? ]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto sits up at attention at that last bit, lowering his leg into the water again, causing a little splash to spill over the edge of the tub. ]

Wha—? How big does the building need to be? How many kids are there?! I mean, this is just the practice school, cuz real school's broken in the summers, right? So that means there'll be even more kids in an even bigger building when the real school starts...!

[ Because Alberto got the impression Giulia's school in Genova was pretty big! Big enough to have a giant telescope, after all. And Kaisou's so huge in general, in Alberto's eyes, with massive buildings compared to any he'd ever seen — he's having a hard time conceiving just how big the school would need to be... No idea yet that they're only talking about one cram school, and one middle school — let alone other elementary schools, the high school, private schools... As far as he knows, it's all the kids and teenagers of the city all in one school. So his mental image of how big this building needs to be is more staggering than it actually is in reality. ]

Works for me!

[schoolingfish]

Yeah. Let's have her over.

[He's not even going to debate the 'put her to the test' because...well, that's essentially what they're doing. Testing to see if she can be trusted with their secret. This whole thing is kind of a big risk, after all, although Luca doesn't think there's much risk there when it comes to Luz.]

[schoolingfish]

Oh, no. It'll be in the same building. There's like...a small section of the building that gets used for summer school while the rest of it's closed off. But even if we're just in a small section I can see how big the rest of the school is!

[prontissimo]

How many kids you think will be there...? Is it for every kid in the city? From little kid age to like— Ercole-not-so-kid age, or what?

[ Because Ercole is hardly a kid, surely seventeen, maybe even eighteen, yet spent his time picking on preteens for no reason. And going to school with someone like Ercole along with every other age group at the same time just seems... overwhelming. Alberto doesn't even realize how he's already physically shying away from the thought of it, doesn't hear the skepticism in his voice, as he idly pours another bowlful of water over his head. ]