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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[prontissimo]

[ Alberto takes the hint, and nods vaguely again, not giving much more of a response than that, still hugging himself and staring off into space. His eyes drift down toward his dark phone screen in his lap again. Even if Bruno comes back, months without talking to him will be hard. And facing the facts, Bruno may never come back, it's true. The best case scenario is that Alberto has to suffer Bruno's absence for a few months, and that upon his return, Alberto will have to suffer the uncertainty of fearing his disappearance again. That's the ideal he's hoping for right now. It's not a very comforting one. Yet he feels a mounting desperation wishing for it — and hand in hand with that feeling, a mounting doubt.

The visceral disappointment he feels sinks into his gut as he stares at his phone, realizing he's in all likelihood never going to get another text or call from Bruno... and if he's lucky, at least not for a long time. Whatever he said to him last, that was it. He picks up the phone to check what it was, only three days ago, and crumples inside when he reads it; something mundane and un-note-worthy, along the lines of "Hey, kiddo, how's it going?" "fine, doing homework. call you later." ...Then Alberto got busy and never called. Remembering that he forgot to call Bruno later, though, is what breaks his false composure inside. Tears of anger start welling in his eyes. That was the last conversation they had? He scowls deeply at the phone, holding it with both hands, then reads the two texts aloud to Luca, bitterness in his voice. ]

Then I forgot to call him back. That was Monday night. I did laundry instead…

Re: Voice; un: Koromaru

[schoolingfish]

Oh, hi! Yes! I love to read, so that would be perfect!

[Honestly, he's been learning so much and so eager for more that he really can't have too many books.]

[schoolingfish]

Oh...

[Oh no. That's just...well, it's terrible timing. At least if the conversation had been a great one Alberto could have left this on a high note instead of having had his last interaction with Bruno being that he forgot to call.]

I mean, you couldn't have known...

[That it was his last chance to talk to Bruno, either forever or just in a while.]

I'm sure he knew you didn't mean to forget.

[After all, homework can be a lot. It's easy to forget things after. He also knows that might not matter, though, because that still means Alberto missed his last chance to talk to Bruno.]

This place is so unfair...

[Why couldn't they at least get some kind of warning that people were going away?]

[prontissimo]

[ As disappointing as their last interaction was, realizing now it was their last, it's in fact a testament to how close they were — to how reliable a figure Bruno had become in Alberto's life. Alberto assumed he'd have the chance to call him back. He expected Bruno to be there still, like he's always been. But it's far beyond him to find that silver lining in this yet. Instead, the fact that he put off calling Bruno is all too easy to weaponize against himself. And, unfortunately, bleeds right into his old ingrained narrative that he's a bad son — a narrative he'd thought he'd retired along with "Silenzio, Bruno." He doesn't even have that small comfort anymore; he never did rename that voice... Without a name, he doesn't have a good way to shut it up like he so often needed to back home; thankfully, for so long here, with a much better Bruno to bolster him, he hasn't needed to. But without a doubt now, that Bruno's bound to stick around, whatever his name is now.

Alberto's scowl deepens, jaw clenched hard, not saying anything. This place is so unfair. It's infuriating. He grips the phone tighter as his gaze lingers on the screen. He keeps it open to his chat log with Bruno, and starts idly scrolling backwards; at first he actually does read some of their old texts, but after a short moment, he starts skimming as his eyes glaze over with tears, eventually scrolling too fast to even read anything. He catches a glimpse of some random texts in Itañol from early October, accidentally landing on a simple "Buonanoches" from Bruno, followed by a "Buenos giornos" from Alberto the next morning — another regular, mundane exchange he'd taken for granted. That's what does it. His hands barely begin shaking as the first tear falls. But there's no biting them back anymore. When his tears well up so much it blinds him from continuing to read, the tidal wave swelling in him finally breaks... Overwhelmed, he sniffles and swallows a sob — then launches his phone across the room. It bounces off the bathroom door with a loud bang, the corner of the phone hitting it just so, with enough mindless force, that the screen shatters and glitches, before going half-black. Alberto doesn't watch it after he's thrown it, though. He just hugs himself, fingertips digging into his arms, and turns away to hide his face from Luca as the tears keep flowing. ]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto follows Luca’s signal, his face lighting up even more. He waves Luca along and dashes off to run the short distance over to the fishing section.

Once they round the corner and get a full view of the section, there’s a huge aquarium replacing a wall into the rest of the store, even extending into the columns, myriad salt water fish swimming by. Alberto turns to Luca with wide eyes, mouth agape. Some of these fish, he’s never seen before, which is exciting, but… there’s a certain irony in having a bunch of live fish imprisoned in a fish tank meant to decorate the section selling weapons to hunt fish. It takes a beat, but Alberto cracks an uncomfortable smirk. ]

Woah—! ...Well… This is awkward, hah. Ooh, but look, wow!

[ He rushes up to the tank and presses his hands and face to it, nose smushed to the glass, to examine a small shoal of rabbitfish. He glances to Luca, definitely already feeling the energy drinks they’d downed kicking in, as a wider smile spreads on his face, excitement un-dampened… ]

Better than a bowl, I guess? Haha~

[schoolingfish]

Way better than a bowl! I mean, it's definitely not the open ocean, but I never imagined that humans would build all this to bring fish on land! Although...

[He glances over at the fishing equipment before pointing at the fish, whispering to Alberto.]

I wonder if they know what all that stuff's for.

[schoolingfish]

[Luca's not really surprised when Alberto throws the phone. He saw what was left of all Alberto's stuff in the Tower after he'd betrayed him, something that still makes him feel guilty when he thinks about it. He knows how destructive Alberto can be when he's upset. If anything, only breaking his phone is progress. Luca just pats Alberto on the back, not knowing what else to say or do.]

[whatsamada]

Then where do you want to meet up? I think it would be better to deliver it to you in person.

[That and she gets an odd feeling that Alberto would not be a happy camper if he didn't.]

[schoolingfish]

Well, I live in the apartments that everyone from other worlds gets, you could just come by here.

[whatsamada]

Oh, that's not too bad. Do you want me to meet up with you at the entrance?

[That said, he was already making his way toward the apartments with the gift in his hand!]

[schoolingfish]

Okay!

[When he arrives, he'll find Luca waiting at the entrance for him.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto wants to be comforted by Luca's pats on the back, and on some level, he is; but his mind is reeling, and he's none too practiced at receiving comfort. He has so little experience in leaning on others in times of need. He's had to deal with nearly every major problem he's ever had all on his own, with the exception of having Luca's help navigating the human world — and Bruno's. Even for as much progress he has made, when the going gets rough, solitude is still his comfort zone; it's yet another thing he shared in common with Bruno — which he's certain Bruno wouldn't encourage in him now. He's supposed to lean on people now, now that he has people to lean on. That's how it's supposed to work, right? But it's easier said than done. Even with Luca.

He lets Luca pat his back for a moment, but still doesn't turn to him. He just hugs himself tighter. He still feels an anger brewing in him, his tears hot on his face, brows knitted tightly. He knows that isn't the right feeling, but that's the feeling he feels. He remembers the way he lashed out at Luca the night before the race, when Luca had tried to comfort him about their argument; Luca maybe kind of deserved that temper then, but he definitely didn't deserve Alberto's anger now. Wise words from another Madrigal come to mind, Dolores once again, remembering sound advice she gave him the first time they met, a surprisingly deep introduction for Alberto: "There are no bad emotions. What matters is how you express them."

He feels another wave of grief crash over him, inhaling with a sharp sniffle as he chokes back a sob, and before he can ruin anything by overreacting, he rushes to his feet abruptly, crossing the room in brisk, sweeping steps toward the bathroom, hugging himself all the while. "There are ways to be angry that don't harm the people who care about you." How are the Madrigals all so good at not being angry? Bruno never got angry at Alberto even once — except maybe the day Alberto didn't respond to his texts or calls because he was distracted when Luca showed up; but even then, it was more fear than anger. Fear Alberto had disappeared without warning... a fear Alberto hadn't taken seriously enough back then.

He slams the bathroom door behind him and locks himself inside, still hugging himself shakily as he slips down to the floor — still swallowing his sobs even in private. ]

[whatsamada]

[By the time Luca arrives at the entrance, he'll happen to see one young teenager standing awkwardly with a present in his hands. Mumbling to himself, it seemed like he was waiting for someone. When he spotted someone standing at the entrance, he raised an eyebrow.]

I'm sorry, you must be Luca right? I wasn't sure what you like but I hope you enjoy it.

[That said, when Ken gave him the gift, he would find it being wrapped in wrapping paper. Should he open it, it would be books about adventure and space related things.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto grimaces and glances over his shoulder at a display of fishing rods, then to the fish, and finally to Luca, leaning over to whisper back to him. ]

Let's hope not. What if they're kept here to show shoppers how the stuff works? For fishing demos...

[ He notices a worker pass nearby, and points to him, grabbing Luca by the shoulder and whispering again (just for fun) ]

I bet that's the fish manager. Should we ask?

[schoolingfish]

[Luca stays quiet, letting Alberto go to the bathroom alone. He wants to comfort him, but if Alberto needs to be alone right now, he's not going to stop him. He'll come back out when he's ready.]

[schoolingfish]

Yeah!

[He takes the present, unwrapping it, and when he sees what it is...a huge grin spreads across his face.]

Thanks! I can already tell I'll love these!

[Mostly because space and going on adventures is right up Luca's alley.]

[schoolingfish]

Sure, why not!

[He whispers back. What's the harm in it? And he has to admit he's curious about the point of all these fish in this giant tank column thing.]

[whatsamada]

[With that, he gave a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was to make him upset or face the wrath of Alberto.]

That's great because I wasn't sure! Although, Alberto did already tell me that you would like these anyway...

[schoolingfish]

Yeah, he knows me really well so you can definitely trust his judgement on stuff like that!

[Although it really doesn't take knowing Luca that well to know how much he loves space.]

hope this works!

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's in there for quite a while, but still far shorter than he probably would have needed in the past. At first, after just a couple minutes in there, he lets loose — which is worrisome to listen to, but surely not surprising. There's a loud clattering when he tears down the shower curtain, the rod bashing a few times against the tub. It's followed by a series of hollow bangs as all the bottles of toiletries are knocked about in the tub, the spice rack-turned-shower-caddy clanging as it falls. Anything on the sink counter, back of the toilet, all swiped off in a fury. One star projector turns out to be more durable than the other, which breaks when it hits the tile. He even goes so far as to tear down the towels. The cacophony culminates in a sharp shattering of a candle being thrown against the floor, the glass thankfully breaking off in large chunks rather than dispersing in tiny shards.

He finally breaks down crying after this, and there's silence, apart from the faint sound of his sobbing. But that is much shorter-lived than his violent tantrum, once it occurs to him to use the water to drown the sound. He turns both faucets on, and they stay on for some time. In fact, once he manages a little bit of composure, Alberto has the good instinct to take a bath/shower... the best thing he could possibly do for himself right now, truthfully. He lets the shower rain over him, clothes and all, hugging himself in the tub as it fills up slowly, all the fallen bottles floating about around him. There's an occasional splashing heard over the sound of the running water, but altogether it does well to disguise his grief.

A little over a half hour passes before he re-emerges, if Luca doesn't check on him first. He doesn't bother to clean up the destruction he left behind him, and quickly shuts the door to hide it when he comes out. He's dripping wet, and still looks quite upset, but there's definitely a different air about him now that he's let some of the emotion out of his system. He saunters over to Luca again, hugging himself still, and sits close beside him, close enough that their legs touch. He stays wrapped in his own arms, but sits more comfortably than before, the tip of his tail swishing slightly; he even leans into Luca somewhat, though he still averts his gaze. There's a short, silent beat before he speaks up, his voice tempered but hoarse. ]

...I'll fix it later.

[ The bathroom. He'll fix the bathroom. But "fixing it" is still a loaded phrase for Alberto, a larger concept in itself — because of Massimo... and then because of Bruno. It's an idea that became significant with the both of them, "un-breaking" things. Boats, walls, fights with family... He may be referring to the bathroom, the most recent mess he's made, but subconsciously, there's no coincidence these are the first words that come to his mind to announce that he's okay. ]

[whatsamada]

Then I hope so!

[With that said, there was a mumble or two coming from his end. How does he continue with this conversation?]

So uh...care to tell me a little bit of what your world is like? I know he told me that it was a small town?

It does!

[schoolingfish]

[Luca cringes as he hears all the crashes and bangs from the bathroom. He kind of expected this, but still he silently hopes neither of them have to use the restroom any time soon, because he's not sure how useable it'll be when Alberto's done. He makes no move to try and get him to stop or open the door, though, because Alberto probably needs to get the anger and frustration out, and he'd rather use the neighbor's bathroom for a while than to make things harder for Alberto.

When he hears the faucets running he's initially relieved, thinking that at least the faucet still works, but then he begins to worry. Why is Alberto running the faucet? He didn't hurt himself, did he? But then the faucet keeps running, longer than he'd expect if he was rinsing out a wound. Maybe he's trying to drown out his sobbing? It breaks his heart to know that Alberto thinks he needs to do that, and that he's crying that much but it doesn't really surprise him. He hears Alberto take a shower, and once he comes out Luca looks at him, glad to see it doesn't look like he's hurt himself in his 'breaking things' phase of grief.

Luca then glances into the bathroom and is unsurprised to see the state of it. He is glad to see that the sink and toilet are still in place. He looks to Alberto and asks quietly,]

Is there anything I can do to help?

[schoolingfish]

Um...yeah. I do.

[Looking strangely like a deer caught in the headlights for someone asked such an innocuous question.]

Um...it's a town. In Italy. We have pasta. And bikes. Just normal town stuff.

[whatsamada]

[And there, Ken wondered if he should continue this conversation if it bothered Luca. And yet...?]

Normal town stuff?

[Which seems like an odd thing to say for such a normal town.]

[schoolingfish]

Yeah, you know. Roads. Fountains. Houses. That kind of thing.