Inbox (Kaisou)

[schoolingfish]

Am I doing it right? Is it rec-oh! It is! Hi! You missed me, leave a message!

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[schoolingfish]

Wow, you did amazing! I mean, I could tell you were excited about something, but I never imagined this!

[And he's so excited about it now that he knows!]

[schoolingfish]

Oh...I don't really know. I just figured since you just went through your first week of school we could do something extra fun.

[What kind of extra fun he doesn't yet know.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto turns to face Luca better, pulling back like he's surprised — because on the one hand, he absolutely isn't surprised, Luca's just nice like this... But on the other hand, he's touched that that's Luca's reasoning for wanting to do something extra fun. He just fixes a sly smile on him for a moment, not saying anything, before leaning back in his spot comfortably, eyes back on the TV as they go on talking, casually plucking up a bite from their snack pile. ]

Hmm. Let's do something we've never done before. Something exciting... Plus, it's perfect timing, cuz tomorrow's my birthday, too — so that'll make it even more special, heh!

[ Nbd. Off the cuff. Just dropping that fun fact. He doesn't even look over when he says it, man; where's all his usual egotism now, eh? ]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's so smitten over this, he just stays lying on the floor, grinning at the ceiling for a moment. This went exactly to plan. For once in his life, something went exactly to plan...! Mind you, the plan was just "Don't tell Luca » Tell Luca » Luca gets excited » Success!" But the feelings of relief and accomplishment and euphoria are all real.

He cranes his neck backwards as best he can to glance at Luca upside-down without moving from the floor, as something a bit mischievous dances on his voice... ]

...Sooo~ You wanna compare our schedules...~?

[ Now, this is the moment Alberto's been most curious about. Even if they have just one class together, that'd be amazing — he has no idea how this all works, so he's just hoping it's more than one. ]

[schoolingfish]

Yeah!

[Luca excitedly springs to his feet, rushing over to his backpack and, after digging around a bit, pulls out his schedule and rushes over to Alberto to share it.]

Okay, what classes do you have?

[schoolingfish]

It's your birthday tomorrow? Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday? Then we definitely have to do something special! This is a whole new city, so I'm sure there's tons of stuff we've never done before!

[But what should they do?]

Maybe we should run around until we find a new thing?

[It's hard to plan with so little time. If he'd known in advance, Luca would have scouted the city for the perfect birthday idea, but as things were, he's going to have to wing it.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto glances over and grins at how excited Luca's getting, not expecting it, but at the same time, not surprised. He wasn't planning some big reveal this time; it just genuinely didn't occur to him it was important to give advance notice. All he'd envisioned was Luca joining him in doing little things to improve the day, eating favorite foods, wearing favorite clothes, playing it by ear. So hearing how he's getting his pep up even more than Alberto, well— it's a bit contagious. He turns to Luca again full attention now, getting more comfortable in the bed to face him. Already he's excited and they haven't even decided what to be excited about. They'll still be playing it by ear, but now with— something vaguely resembling a plan. ]

Yeah, that! Ooh, I know: Let's get on a random bus, see where it takes us, and then when we get off, we'll go find the coolest thing there!

[ ...That's the plan. "Plan." ]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto sits up again and starts digging through his own backpack. His class schedule paper is far more... crumply... but still legible and kept in an easy-access pocket. He hands his over to Luca for him to compare the two. It's a lucky thing they've got so many classes together, barring the first two periods being flip-flopped for them. He still has a very vague idea of what to expect as far as how many kids will actually be in the school, so he's not sure how likely it is they have the same classes... But he's hoping! ]

[schoolingfish]

[Luca's eyes go down each of the schedules, and he begins to feel giddier and giddier the further down the page he goes. The first two weren't a match, but after that?]

Alberto, look! After the first two classes we get to spend the whole day together!

[schoolingfish]

That sounds like a great idea!

Oh, and Luz let me try something called an 'energy drink' and I think you'd like it! Maybe we could get energy drinks while we're out!

[Because of course that's exactly what Alberto needs.]

[prontissimo]

[ He raises his brows at that. That does catch his intrigue... ]

What, like espresso, but not? I'd try it! Yeah!

[ His recreational coffee use has long since turned into a habit; almost every day begins with espresso by this point. It doesn't hit the same as it did when they first tried it, having gotten so used to it now, like any regular coffee drinker... but he still likes it. He doesn't need it, he just wants it, and he sees no problem with that. The idea of there being something else to switch it up with, though, of course sounds appealing. The more energy the better, in his book. And this idea fits in perfectly with his "try something I've never done before" plan for the day tomorrow.

Because what could go wrong with two young sea monsters getting hopped up on energy drinks while intentionally getting lost on public transport in a big city? Sounds like a great birthday to him...! ]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto suddenly scrambles to get up and see, hovering over Luca's shoulder to examine the pages side-by-side. He doesn't need the proof, but seeing it with his own eyes does make it more exciting! He grins wider yet, eyes lighting up. ]

Wow! For real! That's great, haha. See, we really are extra lucky! Look at this~!

[ He gives Luca's arm a little playful slap with the back of his hand. Not that either of them doubted it. But he's excited, more and more, so they can just chalk it up to luck. He didn't know what to expect, so even having one class with Luca would've been "extra lucky" in his eyes, let alone more than half. And you better bet in the mornings he's gonna start leaving little notes hidden for Luca in the Language Arts classroom — it won't take him long to come up with the idea, either. If only because he's gonna end up doodling in class a lot more than he's expecting in this moment... He's not considered yet that school might ever be boring — he's never heard Luca say so, not as much as he's always so excited about it, so that will be a rude surprise for Alberto... But for now? He's over the moon. ]

Wrap?

[schoolingfish]

Yeah, we really are! I can't wait!

[He was already going to have trouble getting to sleep tonight with so much excitement, but now he's going to be practically bouncing off the walls all night.]

[schoolingfish]

Yeah! Instead of coffee it tastes like...well, it says it tastes like fruit, but it doesn't really seem to quite taste like the fruits it says it tastes like, but it's still sweet and really good!

wanna timeskip here? maybe they can leave home after lunchtime to start their adventure?

[prontissimo]

[ That gets a smirk and a little snort. ]

Ha. Sounds great.

[ He's already planning on getting a couple energy drinks each, then — so they can have extra for later on in the day. In case they need to re-up, you know... ]

So that's what we'll do, then. Good plan.

[ He settles back into the pillows, turning his eyes to the screen again idly, still not really paying attention to the show, and lets out a little yawn, but his smile is still on his face as he munches on some snacks. ]

...Heh, s'gonna be the best birthday ever, I can already tell.

That works - Time skip to the next day after lunch

[schoolingfish]

[Luca had been excited all day. Sure, it's Alberto's birthday, not his, but he's really looking forward to making Alberto's birthday the best birthday ever! Which...might not be that hard with the bar they're working with here, but Luca doesn't want to think about that. He just wants to focus on him and Alberto having fun. So, once he finishes his lunch he turns to Alberto and says,]

Are you ready?

[prontissimo]

[ It's true, the bar is low. No matter what they do now, it's just going to get better and better... And next year's only guaranteed to top it, because for next year's birthday, apparently they'll be getting their Vespa. Which Alberto wasted no time in relaying to Luca once Bruno'd left their apartment that morning. And has already brought up multiple times since then. And will probably bring up again. And again. All week. Maybe longer. He's also tried the helmet on three times already...

So he's double-checking his hair in the kitchen mirror (b-because they have one of those) after finishing up lunch himself. He wants to look nice today, being his birthday and all; but that's usually about the level he celebrates at. Taking particular enjoyment in the little things, like eating his favorite foods (cheesecake for breakfast, trenette al pesto for lunch, he's living the life — better than roe and raw oysters!) or wearing his favorite clothes, just doing all the things he likes most all at once, back to back. Whatever makes him feel good. That sort of thing was really the extent of what could be managed for his birthdays back home on the island, though. There was not so much to relish in... Even the "favorite clothes" thing is a luxury he's known only here. He's gonna be on Cloud Nine all day long. As far as Alberto's concerned, today's just supposed to be a laidback day of indulgence and doing the most. So he's at least not that far off the mark about birthdays, despite everything!

He turns to face Luca, a wide smirk on his face, but then points toward the kitchen doorway animatedly, stepping forward with a stiff, exaggerated strut at first. ]

Mmn. Dai... Andiamo!

[ But as he reaches Luca to walk side-by-side, he claps him on the back, flashes him a grin, and starts walking normally again to the front door, grabbing his wallet on their way out. They haven't even had their energy drinks yet...! Clearly more energy is what's needed here. ]

[schoolingfish]

All right!

[Luca's enthusiastic and walks beside Alberto, grabbing his own wallet as they go.]

So there's a small convenience store by the bus stop, did you want to go there for the energy drinks then drink them while we're waiting for the bus?

[And then once they're on the bus they can ride it until they see somewhere they want to go or they reach the last stop.]

[prontissimo]

Yeah! Perfect.

[ He grins at Luca, reaching the elevator as they nail down the plan and pressing the button with a little unnecessary flair. ]

You know, I bet we're gonna find something really cool we never knew about today... I dunno what, but we're gonna find something.

[ He says this with such gravitas and certainty, it makes it sound like less vague and empty a statement than it really is. Maybe one could argue he has a gut feeling; but even by that token, almost no matter what happens, he'll more than likely end up right. These are Alberto Scorfano-style self-esteem cheat codes, man... ]

[schoolingfish]

"Yeah. We'll just look out the window while we're on the bus, and the second we see something cool we'll hop off and check it out!"

They probably will find something really cool that they never knew about before that day. It's especially likely with Luca who, while he knows significantly more about the surface than he had a few months ago, still has quite a few things on the surface that he's never seen or experienced. He leads the way to the convenience store, going inside and quickly finding the energy drinks. The one he'd tried was watermelon flavored, but now that they're here, there's a whole selection in front of them.

"Which ones should we try? Oh, and just so you know, they don't actually taste like the fruits they say they taste like. But they are sweet."

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's eyes go wide at the array of options they have in the fridges in front of them. An awestruck smile slowly grows on his face, before stepping forward and pressing his hands and nose to the glass to look at them all closer. There's so many and they all have really cool looking cans, very colorful... Of course Monster catches his eye, though, and he lets out a little bark of a laugh before he opens the door and grabs one, handing it to Luca. ]

Ha! Well, we definitely need that one...~

[ And, propping the door open with his hip, now that Alberto's in the fridge... he's done for. No way Luca thought they were just getting one each, right? Alberto's already excitedly grabbing at other cans and inspecting them one after another. Ultimately, he just chooses two more, a cherry lemonade Bang and a Red Bull, and steps aside, holding the door open for Luca to pick his. He figures they'll get a few different types and just trade off to try each one. This is about to be one helluva birthday... ]

[schoolingfish]

[Luca's not surprised when Alberto grabs several cans. At least until he holds the door open for Luca to pick one, too. Oh. Well. Looking in there, he sees that while Alberto picked the standard green Monster Energy, there was also one that was called 'orange dreamsicle', so he grabs that. He also selects something called 'rock star' and something called 'NOS'.]

Okay, I'll get these.

[Between the two of them, they'll have a lot of things to try. Between the two of them, they were going to be bouncing off the walls.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto grins at Luca, a bit mischievously, and steps away to let the door close. He grabs a couple random snacks near the register as they wait in line, often falling prey to those strategic impulse buy spots... But today is his birthday, so, whatever. He does make sure to grab a candy he's never tried before, though, sticking to today's theme. ]

Okay, so. We've got enough for the whole day. Maaaybe even more...

[ Surveying their armfuls of cans... Even he has to laugh at them a little. ]

Then, first bus that shows up, we'll hop on! This'll be great~ This city is huge, there's tons of places we've never been!

[schoolingfish]

Yeah!

[Hopefully more than the whole day, although their sense of moderation can never be trusted. Once everything's rung up and paid for, Luca starts heading out toward the bus stop.]

I wonder what sort of places a city like this would even have? It's so different from Portorosso, or even Genova!

[Or their small underwater village, but that's so obvious it doesn't even need to be said.]

[prontissimo]

Well, I've seen a lot of the city, and there's a lot of a lot...! But there's lots of places I've never been to. I'm usually just working.

[ "Working..." He takes the bus from residential districts finding rummage sales and estate sales, to pawn shops on Shopping Street. That's it. He wanders and explores, sure, but he's almost always on missions. It's been since well before Luca even arrived that Alberto's just said "ah, screw it" and hopped on a random bus aimlessly. It feels good. And now with school, his life has so much structure and accountability he's not used to, he needs to grab at whatever lawlessness like this he can.

It doesn't take long before the next bus comes, Kaisou having such a reliable public transport system. Alberto doesn't even bother to check the number, he's immediately to his feet, shooting a grin at Luca with a tilt of his head. ]

Ehi! That's us, ha.