September Event Log

[kaisoumods]

September Event
Dominant Element: Wind
Waning Element: Earth

Full Moon: September 28th - September 30th

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As August and all of its chaos leaves Kaisou, September comes in with cooler weather. The Spirit Vein in the sky will turn to hues of green, indicating the shift towards the Wind element. In fact, there's so much wind, it frankly isn't funny. No tornadoes (that was a few months ago), but more than half the month will have windy weather, and a day or two of high wind warnings from the local weather people. Try not to get blown away!

Rosemary and Thyme

It's September, and you know what that means: school, school, and more school. For the seniors in high school, it's their last year, and soon it'll be time to start looking into secondary education and making plans for the future. Everyone else... enjoy a week of syllabi and ice breakers!

If you're looking for an education that's a bit more magical, there's a whole different school you can attend. While Cygnus Academy has had classes all summer, now that it's fall, they're really kicking it into gear. Several of the faculty will be offering more regular classes on various magical or practical skills, and they're even offering homework help for the younger students as well as college prep for those who looking for it.

September also means that Kaisou's renaissance faire, Sherwood Festival, is back in town! Located near Blue Fish Park, the renaissance faire is full of the usual things one might expect to find at a ren faire. If you're looking for activities, there's all manner of things; from jousting, magic shows, bard performances, visiting a "royal court", and so on! Meanwhile, if you're looking to spend money, there's many vendors selling their handmade goods, such as soaps and or potteries, as well as all sorts of "old timey" foods to try, such as mutton or turkey legs (and of course, beers and ciders for those old enough). Or perhaps you're just interested in the new attractions, which include a fairy circle within the forest, or the mermaid cove that's been set up in the Blue Fish Lake.

However, it's not all just simple gimmicks in this year's faire. App users may notice a few things different about some of the performers this year. That faerie having fun dancing with the kids? That's an actual Fae, likely one that stayed behind after the incursion in March. That "magician" performing around the food stalls? She's performing actual magic, not just illusions and sleight of hand. Even in the mermaid cove, a few of the "mermaid actors" are actual mermaids, and the forest where the Fae circle is located is still heavy with traces of fae magic from last March. There's a couple more strange sightings like that, and though they're not the majority by any stretch it is perhaps a bit concerning that there's as many as there are.

It's up to you if you call these people out or not. Leave it be, and you'll be able to enjoy a good time. If you approach one of these more magical folks, they will try to deny anything strange going on - they're just running a nice faire! Should you take it far enough to piss off one of the fae, you may find yourself cursed into becoming a monster.

Bad Moon Rising

The full moon usually passes through Kaisou with very little fanfare. There are certainly people with monster changes who have to deal with it for the few nights it hangs around each month, forcing them into their monster forms until daybreak. Until now, though, it's always only affected a very small selection of the population - feline and canine monsters, specifically. A few individuals, most of whom have figured out how to manage their condition by now, nothing to cause a panic.

Not so for this month... and for all months following. Thanks to the damage done by the spirit vein, all monster types will feel the full moon's effects. This means that once night falls and the full moon rises, you will have a harder time maintaining your normal form in the city, while your monster side gets significantly stronger. Retaining your humanity will be extremely difficult unless you have some serious control over your monster self. Perhaps you will be fortunate and be able to keep your stable mind, or perhaps you will find your monster thoughts overpowering you and you'll find yourself going a little feral, which is rather unfortunate if you happen to be in a populated area when night falls. This effect will last until sunrise, when you will regain normal form again. Best find a way to handle your abrupt changes, as this certainly isn't going away and the full moon lasts for three nights. You will either need to get better control over your monster form, or seek out other means to manage yourself through the full moon nights. Every month following this one will be the same- it seems like these changes are very much here to stay.

The Stable Gates

Full moon chaos aside, this quiet time in Kaisou might be a good opportunity to check up on how the stable realms are doing. Hyrule, newly freed from the grips of Calamity Ganon, has begun the slow effort to rebuild. Even better, with the Calamity gone, weapons will no longer decay as quickly. Besides Princess Zelda, the Hudson Construction Company is building new structures and is working on infrastructure around various communities in Hyrule. Curiously, every member of the Hudson Construction Company has a name that ends in "son". But that quirk aside, they are the ones to go to if you, too, are interested in having any structures built within Hyrule. Otherwise, you can help them with gathering resources or fighting off any monsters still around.

It's not all peaceful in Hyrule, though. If you're unlucky, you might run into the Yiga clan. They're a clan of Hyruleans that, despite the Calamity's goal of wiping out all life in Hyrule, thought it was a good idea to side with the Calamity. With it gone, they've now taken to attacking the folks that were responsible of destroying Ganon. They'll often be at roadsides, pretending to be travelers in distress before attacking. Besides dressing like red clothed ninjas, they seem to carry a weird amount of bananas with them. They should be easy enough to fend off if you're a skilled fighter, but maybe it's best not to travel alone for awhile.

Meanwhile, in Stardew Valley, the autumn season has fully set in. Crops like pumpkins, cranberries, and apples are all the rage in the small community. At the end of the month, the townsfolk will hold a festival to showcase the harvests for the year and have small community activities. If you're looking for a simple life or want to do some simple farm work without getting attacked by monsters, this might be a good place to spend some time.

A New Job

On the morning of September 4th, Zodiac will send out an alert message.

ALERT: SPIRIT REALM GATE DETECTED IN UNIVERSITY DISTRICT.
Element Classification: Wind
Danger Level: Low
Designation: Great Library of Alexandria
Zodiac has detected a spirit realm gate appearing in the University district, and confirmed it to be the Great Library of Alexandria. We have also has received a message from the Muses. It reads: "We the Muses, goddesses of the arts, have decided to take some time off due to some recent events. As such, you shall be charged with watching our library this month. Failure to do so competently will incur our wrath. Thanks!"

No pressure, huh.

The atmosphere of the Zodiac office is calmer compared to last month, as dealing with the Great Library is much easier than everything that was happening last month. The Zodiac employee will tell you the most important thing is to make sure to bring a piece of knowledge to share, as that's the admission fee of the library. They aren't sure what watching the library entails, but surely it can't be that bad, right?

That said, while the Zodiac employees are relaxed, the Professor (fuzzy) is anything but. He's talking a mile a minute about how excited he is to see the Great Library of Alexandria. He even has a little suitcase with him that's full of notebooks and gear in case he wants to say overnight. Because of course he's coming with this time! He wouldn't miss the great library for the world!

To find the gate, one simply has to head out to Kaisou University's main campus. Among all the class buildings and libraries, there's a new building front that seems to have appeared. White columns and stone stairs are hardly unusual among a college campus, so it might be easy to overlook, except that the entryway is glowing with a bright energy. No doubt about it, this is the gate.

The Great Library of Alexandria

Stepping through the gate, characters will find themselves in a grand marble hall that would put most to shame. Around the hall are statues of the nine muses, posing in different fashions with objects associated with each one. There are signs with the rules of the library. Even though it's written in Ancient Greek, you find yourself able to read what it says like it was perfect English:

I. Take nothing out of the Great Library, leave it all as you found it.
II. Damage nothing in these halls.
III. To obtain knowledge, you must share knowledge.

In the center of the hall is a pedestal that stands four feet tall. It is here that you place the knowledge that you've brought to share. Books, movies, comics, art pieces, fact sheets, personal notes - anything that could technically be considered either knowledge or art are accepted. Once you place your item on the pedestal, it will disappear and a bracelet made of olive tree wood will appear around their wrist. This is their proof that they are allowed entrance into the rest of the library. Anyone who tries to go into the halls without donating a piece of knowledge will find the entryways into the other wings magically blocked.

Once the admission fee has been paid, it's off to explore the rest of the library! There are several wings to explore, each of them chock full of knowledge. A person could easily spend a lifetime in a single wing and not see everything there is to offer. Even though it offers works written and created in countless languages, you'll find yourself able to understand all of them as if they were written in your native language. That said, any cameras will not work while within the hall, so if you want to remember the things you read- you'll have to take notes. Any character with fire magic will find their fire powers do not work while in this realm either - the library has a bad history with fire, okay.

The wings are as followed:

The Literature Wing

This wing is devoted entirely to any work of literature that's ever been written. Novels, poems, short stories, comics, fables - anything that counts as a story would be found within this wing. There's even a section devoted to fanfictions throughout the ages, if that's what you're really about. There are braille and audiobooks with headphones, for those who get their reading through that way. Throughout the wing, there are comfortable chairs and window seats to sit in. The wing is managed by a legion of cats, who are clever enough to understand human language. They will carry books to and from their shelves, bring book recommendations, bring snacks and drinks as refreshments on a little push cart, or just curl up on your lap as you read.

The Knowledge Wing

Next to the Literature Wing, the Knowledge wing contains any non-fiction texts or documents that have ever been written. Any topic of non-fiction is covered here: history, science, mathematics, cookbooks - the list goes on. Interestingly, there are more than just books about this Earth found in these halls. It's possible to find textbooks detailing events or information about other worlds as well - so long as it covers events already taken place (meaning before any OU's canon point). Unlike the literature wing, the seating are set up more as study tables and chairs, but are still comfortable enough to sit in for hours on end. This wing is managed by a bunch of owls, who will fly up and down the aisles with books in their talons. The fuzzy Professor can be found here, basically acting like a tiny child at Christmas as he piles on all the history books and shares every interesting fact he learns ("this is going to make such great material for my classes!!"). There are several puppets with him helping out. Where did the puppets come from? Maybe it's best you don't ask, because they'll start to sing and annoy the owls.

The Music Wing

A wing designed to have perfect acoustics, no matter where you go within the hall. Here, you can find every music piece ever composed, as well as any type of instrument ever created. There's plenty of practice rooms for any size group, all of which are soundproofed. In the back of the wing, there is a concert hall where you can either perform your own shows, or watch astral recordings of any concert that's ever taken place. Want to see Beethoven perform his famous 9th symphony? You can do that! All the musicians past will appear as ghostly apparitions as they perform. Songbirds are the maintainer of these halls, who will fly by on errands or maybe even stop by to sing along with your performances.

The Theatre Wing

Next to the music wing, there is the theater wing. This area has play stages and movie theaters all set up. You can either watch any movie or show in existence (no worries about streaming rights here!), or rewatch any theater performance that's happened in history in the form of ghostly visages. Find out how Hamlet was performed when Shakespeare was still alive (in fact Shakespeare's visage himself might look... familiar), or see the first Greek tragedy. Mice and rats are the maintainers of this wing, they will help out pick out movies and also run a concession stand with any movie snacks you'd like to consume during the show.

Of course, not all shows are ones that we passively spectate. Besides the theaters, there is a room devoted to be a fighting simulator. Take any kind of weapon you'd like, and fight spectral foes from history and legend. Trade blows with the greatest samurai or battle a beast of legend. While it feels real, no actual injuries will come from these fights. And for those who prefer their battles to take place in the digital plane, there is a relatively newly added room with all the video games you could possibly want.

The Planetarium Wing

The planetarium is the wing devoted to astronomy and the heavens. While there's plenty of shelves of books here with information about space, the main event in this hall is a planetarium. A massive dome that can be set to display the night sky as it appeared at any time or day- and not just on Earth either. You can find out what the sky looks like on any number of worlds. All of them feel hyper-realistic, like you're looking at the real night sky. Bats help run this part of the library, the dark starry skies doing nothing to hinder their assistance with visitors.

Should anyone use this room to investigate the moon, they will find that the moon itself? Is still a perfectly normal moon. No, really. It's normal. However much like it affects the tide, the moon will also affect the magical energies of Spirit Veins. And the higher level of concentration of magical energy, the larger the effect. So the reason the full moon is affecting more monsters? Is less about the moon and more the increasing spirit energy that is ever growing in Kaisou.

The Museum Wing

The museum wing covers all artifacts that relate to knowledge, but wouldn't quite fit in the other wings. Dinosaur fossils, vases, paintings, tapestries, all of them are carefully displayed with information about each item. These items have been collected across different worlds and throughout history, with all of them carefully preserved. One room of the museum is devoted to divine donations - donations given by deities when they came once came to visit, and clearly the shining gem of the museum. Items such as a Dharma Wheel, an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, an actual eye (thanks Odin), and other items relating to knowledge have all been carefully put on pedestals. While trying to steal from the other wings will have magic measures that simply prevent you from doing so, the consequences of trying to steal from this part of the library will lead to much more dire consequences. To reflect that, this wing is patrolled by crocodiles who will guide you to exhibits, but will also snap their jaws anytime they feel you're getting too close to an artifact.

The Mess Hall

With so much to see in this library, it'd be a shame if hunger got in the way. Just head down into the basement, where an expansive dining hall and kitchen await you. The goats that run this part of the library will be happy to cook you up any kind of meal that has ever existed. Or, if you're the type to want to cook for yourself, you'll have free access to the kitchen, which is full of any ingredients you could possibly want. The walls are lined with cooking tools and cookbooks to help you along, as well. Cooking is a form of art, after all.

The Records Wing

The final wing contains records of every person who has ever lived and died. Each person's life is recorded in a hardcover book that is decorated in ways to reflect the person. The length of a book will depend on how long the person has lived, and it will cover events that happened throughout their lives. While you can access records of people that live in different worlds, you can only access records of people who have died (the permanent kind). Not only that, but the keepers of this wing (ghostly apparitions of scholars) will only allow you access to the records of people that are part of your family or somehow related to you.

Hauntingly, AU characters will be able to find books of their past selves among these shelves, as well as the records of their past selves relatives. It will detail their lives in their previous worlds, the events described lining up with memories you've experienced. The causes of death will vary. Some will go on to live long lives before dying of old age, while others will be killed abruptly by something either within or out of their control. Either way, it's probably rather unsettling to read about how your life once came to an end.

Watching Over the Library

For those who have agreed to care for the library, when you enter the library and pay your admission, a special key will appear in your pocket the same time the wristband does. This key will allow you to enter the backrooms of the library. The backrooms of the library are expansive, split into two main areas. The first area is clearly the living areas for both the Muses and their animal helpers. There's a bathing area that's full of rejuvenating water, a greenhouse full of plants found in Ancient Greece, and nine apartment-style homes that belong to each of the muses. While you're free to use the public bath or look through the greenhouse, going into the apartments is a good way to get yourself cursed in new and horrible ways.

The second area? Well, that's where your work as the library's caretaker begins. There are a couple important tasks that must be done. First, the animal caretakers must be fed. There are large storage containers full of the different kinds of foods the animals like to eat and food troughs assigned to each group of animals. Make sure they get fed regularly, unless you want them to start to turn on each other. You can also help the animals by playing with them, grooming them, or just giving them some nice pets.

Not quite an animal person? Well then, you can head into the next room where the Sorting takes place. The Library of Alexandria is getting new material all the time, and all the newest items appear here. There's a pile of books and media that need to be sorted into their proper wings. Each of the wings have a drop chute that you can throw items into, or you can hand them off to an animal attendant. Try to keep up with this task as much as you can, before the piles grow out of control.

If neither of those jobs sound appealing to you, there's always patrolling the library and making sure everything remains in order. Keep things from getting out of control, or help clean up messes that get made by other patrons. Remember, you want to make sure the Muses don't come back to a sight that angers them.

Finding Closure (POKEGO Mission)

"This is a selfish request from a selfish old man, I know. But in every way but blood, he was my son. So please... help me understand his reasons. If it was my fault, or if there was something I could've done. I just... I need to know. Thank you."

It's not typical that Professor Oak asks personal requests, usually preferring to allow his associates to follow their own interests and goals. But it seems the memory of Willow's actions were haunting him more than he was letting on. And for those who were familiar with Willow's case file... this realm was the place where he had gotten his idea to go after Ra, so if there was any place to search for answers...

There are two wings within the library that will yield some findings. In the Knowledge Wing, shoved away amongst the other books about Ancient Egypt, you can find Professor Willow's notebook lodged into the bookshelf. The notes are a mixture of research and observations, as well as his own personal log. At the start, it reads much like the man many of them were familiar with; an easy-going and curious man who truly did think well of his fellow colleagues. Persephone was like a mother, Abasi was so intelligent (even if a bit prickly), and he felt pride watching Sorey and Mikleo grow and come into their own as POKEGO members.

But as the notes and logs go on, the tone slowly slips into something darker and eventually... desperate. Life setbacks (usually described in vague terms, if at all) eat at him more and more. And more and more, he begins romanticizing his past life, his past world. Not wanting to trouble anyone, he never speaks to anyone about it, allowing it to fester until idle daydreams manifest into dangerous plots. His notes and observations become less careful, more unhinged. But even as he continues his plans, his logs continue to reflect a man who is torn by his actions and whether they are the right thing to do. Even in his final log, the one written on the night he found the way to get to Set, he writes: "I know I'm going to cause a lot of pain, but this is the only way. I just... I'll try to make things right, somehow."

The other finding POKEGO can find is within the Records Wing. Willow had long considered the members of POKEGO as his family, so they'll be allowed to view his records. These will shed some light and give context to his background from an outside perspective. In the final pages, it mentions that he's currently serving his life sentence in Florida under the Order's watch. He doesn't know if he deserves to live, after so many lost their lives through his actions. Frequently, he'll try to write letters to various POKEGO members - but can never bring himself to send them. Each one of them has the same kind of message: I'm sorry. It's not your fault. Maybe you can use what you learn to help give Professor Oak (and yourselves) some closure.

Speaking of Professor Oak, for those who are curious enough to look up his records, POKEGO members will be able to access them as well. Reading his record might learn some interesting information about the old man, even if you'll have to own up to grandma that you were snooping.

To Be Forgotten (Black Order Mission)

While everyone else has the library or their own matters to attend to, the Black Order has their own mission to follow. "Locate Rukkhadevata" was the message that the Order had left them with. Strangely enough, there's no records of any Rukkhadevata anywhere in the public areas of the library. Looking through any records relevant to the name turns up empty, and even the animal keepers of the wings seem puzzled at the mention. If no one named Rukkhadevata exists, then why does the Order seers keep hearing that name?

The answer lies in the backroom of the library. Past the sorting room, there is another room hidden away. This is the forbidden part of the library, books that have been intentionally removed from the main collection. Most of these books are sealed and marked, with clear labels indicating that attempting to break the seal will result madness or death.

However, there is one book that sits on the table that has no such warning label, looking more like a normal book that got placed in this room by mistake: a life record book on Rukkhadevata.

Should you read the book, her life story becomes clear: Rukkhadevata was a former member of the Black Order, a recent former member. She was recruited after she began getting memories of being the Dendro Archon, the god of wisdom of Teyvat, in her previous life. Wise beyond her years and deeply kind, she did her best to help her fellow comrade through missions. Alarmingly, these comrades include Black Order members that are present in Kaisou today, with specific stories of their time together being detailed in this text. None of these stories are ones the Black Order members remember as they are written. Only as they hold the book in your hand, do the memories of her existence begin to come back to you.

Its only at the end of her record book does it become clearer what's going on. Three years ago, Rukkhadevata decided to leave the Order. Her reasons aren't discernible, with the lines being intentionally blotted out. But it took her time to figure out the best way to leave. In the end, she found two feasible options: the first was giving up all her powers by striking a bargain with a "bargaining horned spirit", which would render her useless to the Order. As for the other option...

"The Great Library of Alexandria is the realm that maintains all the knowledge in the world, as well as all the world's memories. Even for those who have faded into obscurity among the living still have records within the Record Wing, so the gods and seers are able to draw upon them. So in theory, if one removes their own records from the library, then the world itself will have no memories of them to draw upon, and thus will forget them. To maintain normalcy, any records of my existence will be eradicated or repurposed. Even the Order itself will have no knowledge that I exist. The Muses say doing such an act will consume about half of my soul's power to pull this off. They also caution me how difficult it'll be to be truly forgotten, but if this is the best way to achieve what I need to do...

World, forget me."

The record book ends there, with no further recordings to what happened to her. Rukkhadevata must have placed the book back here, thinking it'll be enough to erase her from the world's memories. However if the seers in the Order are still able to get her name...that's clearly not enough. The book itself needs to be destroyed.

So, the Order is now left with two options. They can return the book back to the Records Wing, which will reinstate the world's memories of Rukkhadevata. Or... there's a single fireplace within the forbidden part of the library, the only fireplace within the entire building. Should you throw it in there... all memories tied to Rukkhadevata will be permanently erased with no hope of regaining them. Decide amongst yourselves what the best course of action is.

Aftermath

The library will be around all month. At the end of the month, it will vanish once it came. If you've done a good job with looking after the library, you will be blessed with new inspiration for your creative endeavors. Should you have done something to harm the library on the other hand... well, depending on the severity, you'll certainly find yourself with some curses to attend to.

As for the Black Order, whether or not you remember Rukkhadevata, you are now equipped with knowledge that could help you leave the Order yourself, if you choose. Erase yourself from the world by burning your own books in the record wing, or seek out this bargaining horned spirit that the notes mentioned. Even after the library leaves this month, you'll just need to ask the shopkeeper of the Gacha Goodwill for the means to return to the library. He'll take you... but only if the stars are right.

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Wind! Anyone with an affinity to the fire element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Earth will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. Another Zodiac Post will be going up September 15th to serve as an intro post for new characters and allow characters to react to developments over the network.

Comments

Alberto Scorfano | Pixar's Luca | ota

[prontissimo]

A. STARTING HIGH SCHOOL

[ Ninth grade...! Alberto's second year in human school — which of course makes him an expert by now. Nevermind the rest. He was excited but distinctly apprehensive last year; he'd hesitantly enrolled in school as a surprise for Luca, who was over the moon to learn they'd complete eighth grade together. But as they begin high school together, with a whole new campus, new student culture, new classmates, Alberto feels a swelling pride... He's doing this for himself this year — because he wants to. And because it's the law. But less about that and more about the intellectual initiative, sense of belonging in the human world, investment in himself, etc...

Alberto was thankful he got to make his own schedule to a degree, and simply went in order of his favorites: got his worst classes out of the way early on (maths and English) so he could enjoy the rest of his day. He tested into a higher level Spanish class than most freshmen, so he may well have some older classmates to practicar with. He's most excited about his first ever art class. First day of art class, any classmates can find him rummaging around the classroom before class starts, unable to sit still in his seat. The environment is too stimulating, he can't resist snooping through the supplies and gawking at all the decorations and touching just about everything. Anyone nearby can practically feel Alberto buzzing with excitement. Refreshing to see a student in a classroom acting like a kid in a candy shop...! ]


B. LIBRARY

[ Alberto spends nearly every day of the month at the library. Every. Day. He did the same thing last year, as he was sorely needing to play catch-up learning about the human world in order to be in the loop with his modern American peers at school — which is still true. But this year, he's going so often just because he loves it. He helps out with the animals, as requested, enjoying all the feeding and the loving and the playing, and sure, the cats are great, the bats are cool... But have you ever seen a teenaged boy lying on the ground with about a dozen rats crawling all over him? Because now you have. And he looks absolutely thrilled about it, too. Even as they crawl on his face... Otherwise, he does his homework in the Literature Wing first thing after school every day, always while cuddling with a cat or two. Or three. Or four. He smells pretty fishy by the end of the day — his final class period is gym and he's sixteen, after all... He smells as any healthy, active sixteen-year-old sea monster boy should. Which makes Alberto very popular with the library cats. ]

i. theatre wing

[ He spends plenty of his breaks watching movies; at the end of his first week of school, Alberto even rewatched Roman Holiday, just for nostalgic kicks. It was the first film he'd ever seen (strictly because there was a Vespa on the poster) back in the cinema in Portorosso... y'know, when it was a fairly new movie. If any Audrey Hepburn fans happen to catch the same screening, they may also catch Alberto sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes by the end, once the lights come on in the theatre. Got him in the Big Feels, clearly. He can't even hide it, man. ]


ii. mess hall

[ Alberto and Luca's kitchen doesn't get much use this month, as Alberto's pretty much cooking at the library every night! Sometimes multiple meals in one night, and several times a day on weekends. He's not even necessarily hungry half the time, he's just jazzed about being able to find a fascinating new (or old — even ancient) recipe to try out every time, with anything he could possibly want at his fingertips, and enough free supplies to make way more food than he really needs. But he'll eat all of it anyway. He's a bottomless pit. Of course, though, like any good chef, he's keen to share his cooking with any passerby who follow their nose... ]

Hey! You, come taste this. I want a second opinion.

[ No, he doesn't. He wants to show off. Sorry not sorry... At least this time Alberto's bragging is delicious? ]


iii. music wing

[ Anyone who walks in on Alberto's chosen part of the music wing better be a fan of opera, if they decide to sit in and join him. It'd be remiss of him not to use these perfect acoustics to their fullest dramatic potential. Any stray listeners may be drawn in by the haunting sound of one particular opera aria, which Alberto's played many times throughout the month... sometimes over and over. A song he's loved for a long time, sure, and always holds close to his heart for many reasons — but lately it's just hitting the spot again in a whole new way. You know how that goes. ]


iv. planetarium

[ Every night before he leaves the library to go home, Alberto spends at least a few minutes stargazing in the planetarium. Many nights there are of course spent with Luca — in which case Alberto is far more enamored with watching Luca than he is the stars... But some nights, Alberto stays late on his own, says he'll meet Luca at home, that he's gonna go clean up whatever mess he made elsewhere in the library before he goes — and if that's true, he always does. Really, though, he's finding pockets of alone time. Something he never could have imagined he'd need to do. For the first fourteen years of his life, he had nothing but alone time, it feels like now. So much has changed in his life since coming to Kaisou. And something about the new school year starting, his sixteenth birthday coming up, counting down the days til he buys his own Vespa, it's got him in a reflective mood for the whole month.

There are a few nights he stays inordinately late, alone in the planetarium, even on a school night — well past midnight, sometimes til even three, four in the morning. He'd set the planetarium's sky to a particular place and time, wanting to see the same sky he used to watch late at night growing up on the island, but he hadn't expected there would be a meteor shower. In his delight, he doesn't notice someone else join him in the planetarium, as the first shooting star falls. The stars gradually start raining more and more, one by one, but it takes a moment before Alberto realizes he isn't alone. Whatever tips him off, be it a friendly greeting or the scuffle of a footstep in the silence, breaks him from his sentimental revery. He startles exaggeratedly, scrambling in his seat, before he clutches his hand to his chest, panting slightly, staring his unexpected company down with wide eyes. Dramatic... ]

H-Hoooly sharks! Oh, mamma mia, you scared the scales off me... Hah...

[ For all his bravado, Alberto's a bit of an easy scare... But he recovers easily, too. A smile cracks over his face, and he starts to laugh freely, in spite of himself, inviting the other to enjoy the humor in their little jumpscare. Even after all this time here, with more friends than he can count on both hands, even when he's snuck off specifically to be alone, Alberto will always be glad for the spontaneous company. That much may never change. After all, he's made plenty of wishes on falling stars all by himself before — he's positive it'd be much more fun with a friend. So far, he's found that to be true of just about everything in life, though — just as he'd always imagined... ]

(( ooc: My final event log here!! Feel free to tag multiple prompts if you'd like some extra threads with Alberto before I go; I'll happily answer backtags forever, haha. Thanks for everything, Kaisou! It's been a wild ride — but an absolute blast. Hope our paths cross elsewhere, and if not, arrivederci a tutti! ☆ ))

iii

[a_cute_batata]

"I had a feeling I'd find you here."

It wasn't simply a feeling though. The moment she heard this song she immediately thought of Alberto and associated with all of the good times they had. The two were inexplicably tied to each other in her head, and it was honestly good to see him again, excited to be a part of this library as she was.

Alberto, after all, would always hold a special place in her heart as a friend in Kaisou.

"What are you up to, il mio migliore amico?"

[prontissimo]

"Ah—! Haha... Ciao, cara."

Alberto stirs when he hears her voice, startled surprisingly easily, but spins round with a smile on. Always happy to see his friend. And just one more instance where they're so very obviously cut from the same cloth — maybe she didn't exactly mean to sneak up on him like that, but she did, and it worked, and it was funny, and always one of his favorite jokes. It brings to mind the last time they were in the library, when he found Amity had set up camp and spooked her. She didn't find it nearly as funny as he did... He got gooped. It draws something more wan and bittersweet to his smile, standing up to greet Luz with a hug as usual. If they so happen to brush skin-to-skin as they do, Luz might get a clear view into that memory with Amity, with all its spectacular awkwardness. He'd mentioned to Luz that he'd met Amity in the library, but did not go into details... And apparently it went, well— probably exactly as Luz might've imagined Alberto and Amity might interact on their own, without Luz or Luca as buffers...

He pulls away from the hug still wearing a soft smile, standing back with both hands on his hips.

"Taking a break from studying. I've just been— you know," he pauses, slowly opening his arms showily to gesture at the grand space around them, failing to find words, as if that explains everything about his mood and what he's doing. "You too?"

[a_cute_batata]

Luz would, of course, want to give her friend a hug, and did just that. She passed through the memory, startled, and couldn't help but laugh a little at the interaction she bore witness to.

"You know, she was like that with me at first! Pretty sure she hated me too! I don't really blame her, we met during some pretty sketch circumstances. Thing was, it was also how I first met my best friend in the Boiling Isles, so it's an interesting memory! She must have been pretty stressed that day."

Granted, she knew full well Amity had been doing through it. She had always been top student, and learning at the human school had her insecure about her slow progress. She was pretty sure she never would have been close to that angry with Alberto about it, but she knew she was biased there. She would have thought it was funny too!

"Yeah, I know," she said with a grin. "Going to look after some of the animals for a few shifts myself. I'm glad this place came back again!"

[prontissimo]

Alberto offers a lopsided grin, bittersweet, but happy to share a funny memory with Amity by accident — even if it was mutually stressful that day, yeah... No one can say Alberto didn't try his hardest to befriend Amity. Maybe he— tried too hard...

He's thrilled for Luz's company, though, and when she brings up how the gate to the library reopened, it just spreads his smile wider, more genuine — though still some softness around the eyes somehow...

"Right?! I love this place. I'm even more excited that we get to help the animals, too! Luz, there are so many rats!" he exclaims gleefully, eyes lighting up, barely containing himself from stomping his feet in excitement.

Riiight... Alberto has a thing about rats...

[a_cute_batata]

It was a shame that Amity and Alberto didn't get in as well as Luz would have liked, but that was just the way Alberto and Amity were. She loved the two of them because of how different they were from each other. Luz knew if Amity WERE here, she'd appreciate how much Alberto had been here for her.

Hey, he was as excited as she was! Yes! She as always find reasons to love Alberto!

"Heh, yeah, I know! Reminds you of someone, eh?"

She knew and understood. Considering a rat had started to bring herself and Amity closer, she actually liked them so much more.

[prontissimo]

His smile falters slightly, but melts into something warmer, bittersweet still as it is — but... they can miss their people together. He knows that. He is far more open with Luz than he is with anyone else — even Luca, in some capacities. Luz just... gets it.

"Hah— yeah..."

He pauses slightly, hitching emotionally, having not let himself talk about Bruno for so long. But— he accepts the invitation to, for once, even though he can't quite bring himself to say his name.

"...He'd love this. Feeding the rats and mouses. The crocodiles, maybe not so much, hah! But he'd be in rat-paradise, hehe~"

Rat Paradise sounds... mildly disconcerting...? But not to Alberto. And surely not to Bruno.

[a_cute_batata]

Luz understood that look. He'd seen Luz have that look whenever she thought of Eda or Amity. It was that moment you cherished someone you lost, and the memories of how close you'd been bringing up the familiar ache.

If anyone knew that, and how that empty space never felt filled, it was Alberto.

"Right? And rightfully so, rats are pretty smart. The ones here are no exception! I'm loving these little guys! But yes, the crocodiles take some getting used to."

Clearly Luz had no issues with rat paradise.

"Given this is a library, it's probably more accurate to call this nerd paradise though!"

Not that Luz had an issue with that either!

[prontissimo]

Hah! Guess that includes us, then, huh?

[ 'Nerds' is just another word for 'underdogs,' as Alberto understands it. He's not culturally tuned in enough to understand the nuances between 'nerds' and 'dorks' and 'geeks' and whatever else... And while Alberto may not be the stereotypical bookish-type nerd, he, uh— is veeeery much still in the same realm in other ways. But, all in all, he and Luca and Luz have all found 'their people' in one another, a solid little friend group. Alberto felt aware of his vague 'nerd' status as soon as he joined human school this time last year, could tell right away that he was once again 'under the dogs' amongst his new peer group. He couldn't help but wonder if high school would be much the same... but he's come to feel a strong sense of pride in whatever it is that makes kids like them 'weird.' Maybe not the fish smell, ahem, but, y'know — the quirkiness and the chutzpah and all that... ]

[a_cute_batata]

It always includes us, Alberto.

[Luz had long since stopped thinking of being a nerd as a negative thing. She knew other people used it to make themselves feel better than others and was a victim of it back home. When she'd used it to refer to herself, it was half defiant and half acknowledging this was what people genuinely thought of her.

But she didn't think of being a nerd in a self deprecating sense anymore. People who put others in labels like that to make themselves look cool by comparison weren't cool at all. It was just another Boscha, and at this point, Luz was done playing into their cliques.

She had her friends, she trusted and cared about all of them. If they (and her too) were considered nerds? Good. They'd own it. She'd be called nerd and be unpopular a thousand times over rather than seeing Alberto hurt or seeing anyone make fun on him].

Us weirdoes stick together, Alberto. Don't forget that.

[prontissimo]

[ Her words echo the very first social lesson Alberto learned living amongst humans: weird kids have to stick together, indeed. Giulia had advised them the same, almost verbatim. It draws a wide, warm smile across his face, something soft and tender around the corners of his eyes. ]

Heh-- Yeah. I know, cara. Haha, underdogs forever, right?

[ A new rat crawls into his lap at that moment, which just widens his grin. A nice chance for a buffer -- as he always searches for in tender moments like these. He lifts the rat up in the air between them, grinning still. ]

Ha-- Right!

[ ...the rat agrees. Obviously. ]

[a_cute_batata]

[Luz honestly remembered when, back home, that was just HER, by herself. It had never been the easiest thing and most of the time it had just left her alone. Now she knew that it was possible to be yourself and still have people who were as "weird" as you were. She had learned a little about that with Vee, and now, having gone to the Isles and living in Kaisou, she had faith in that].

You got that right!

[And of course as the rat pops into view, Luz is cooing over the rodent. That was Luz, lover of animals. No matter where she was, that was not going to change].

How have you not had a pet, Alberto?

Mess Hall

[senorita_perfecta]

(Isabela happens to be at the mess hall at the right moment. She was meaning to make some food from the recipe books she has seen in Alexandria to show how much she has grown as a home cook. Not at the same level as Julieta but still a good effort regardless.

Well she would have started on it right away if she hasn’t caught the smell of food being cooked by Alberto and him asking her for her opinion.)

Oh me? Being a taste tester? I would be happy to try the food out before I can start cooking up some recipes myself.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's thrilled to see it's Isabela, a grin spreading over his face. He grabs a spoon and offers a bite of flavorful pasta sauce for her to try. ]

I've been cooking this sauce for eight hours. But the recipe said "eight to ten." Does it need a couple more hours? How do you even tell?!

[ Alberto seems very clearly proud of himself, but also like he's taking this quite seriously. Isabela has cooked with him plenty during his regular visits to La Casa Madrigal, and knows how enthusiastic he is. But even for Alberto, a ten-hour sauce is quite the undertaking...! Though, to be fair, he makes it sound like he's been slaving away for eight hours... He absolutely just let it cook and left to wander the rest of the library, checking on it off and on. But hey, it's still an ambitious meal! Goes to show how much he's grown as a home chef, too — no doubt from cooking with Isabela and Luisa and Pepa. One hand washes the other and both wash the face, as the saying goes — but in this case, the fruits of their labor together also happen to always be delicious. ]

[senorita_perfecta]

I think that the 8 hour mark is alright. Sometimes I can’t even sometimes tell about the cooking times either; I had to adjust the cooking time on a few occasions. Needless to say, I just hope that this pasta dish is going to taste great though.

(She could see how really important it is for Alberto to get this recipe right given how long it takes to make a sauce like this. There is also a goo chance that she may or may not have tried this one before in the many cooking sessions they have taken together. But she is willing to give him her thoughts and hopes for the best.

Taking the spoonful of pasta from him, Isabela proceeds to eat it, taking her sweet time in savoring the dish quite heartily and there is clearly a big smile on her face as it happens. My, my: this might be one of the best pasta dishes she has ever gotten to eat.)

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto recognizes that smile. That's the smile that can only be brought on by really good food. He's made leaps and bounds from when he first started learning to cook, when he'd first arrived. But seeing that look on someone's face — someone whose literal taste he trusts so much — is an immense source of pride, especially after tasting what's possibly the most ambitious sauce he's ever made. He can barely keep himself from bouncing with excitement, seeing her reaction. He rushes to start boiling water for the noodles faster than he's ever moved to make pasta before — great urgency, suddenly. They need to try this dish whole! ]

I'm gonna make the noodles, hold on! What were you gonna make, Isa? Let's go halfsies! You have some of mine, I have some of yours, eh~?

[senorita_perfecta]

Oh yeah! That’s a great deal, Alberto. I was going to make some of this stew that I have been looking forward to cook for a while since coming here. So I’m more than happy to share some of it with you.

(Isabela brings out the recipe in question and points out to a picture of a hearty bowl of chicken and potato stew. Shreds of marinated chicken, cobs of corns, vivid green guascas and cilantro, slices of avocado, mostly hidden capers, dollops of crema, and chunks of potatoes all swimming in a hearty chicken broth. The chicken meat had been marinated and some prep work had been done for some time.

It has been a recipe that she remembers Julieta would make for the family a couple of times and, despite its not so great connection to the awkward aftermath of the marriage proposal that never happened, it is one of the recipes from home she has been wanting to make for a long time.)

I do hope to make Mamí proud by attempting to cook this stew that I have been looking forward to make.

[prontissimo]

[ The grin that spreads across his face. Incomparable. ]

Hah... I make ajiaco all the time. Luisa showed me — at your mom's restaurant. That's one of the best things I've ever eaten, ha!

[ And indeed, it's true; ajiaco has become a comfort food in Alberto and Luca's home. Alberto's maybe exaggerating quite how often he makes it, but he's certainly made it quite a few times. He's absolutely smitten that she's found another recipe — slightly different than how he makes it, he notices as he reads it over, but that just makes him even more excited to try it. ]

[senorita_perfecta]

Oh yes, I can’t help but to agree with you too. Ajiaco is one of the best food that anyone can eat up and I have been waiting to give it a shot and see how it pans out for me. It certainly has been a while since I got to have it for some time following Mamí’s disappearance.

I have been putting it off for weeks due to work commitments, but this time I’m pulling all the stops to make the best one yet. Hopefully fingers crossed that it will taste as just as good as Mamí and Luisa’s ajiaco.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto grins as she talks about the soup, though his smile turns a little softer and more bittersweet when she mentions her mother's disappearance. He wasn't as close to Julieta as he was to Bruno and Pepa, but he liked her a lot from the time they did spend together — like any of the Madrigals. And he knows what a blow it was to the girls, Dolores included... Isabela's hopes that she can carry the torch for her mother's soup the same way her sister tried, it brings a warmer smile on his face, nodding vaguely. ]

Yeah... Heh, I bet it'll be just as delicious as your mamma's — I mean. It won't heal your body, haha, but it'll heal something, right~?

[ He has come to make ajiaco on nights when you just really need a hearty pot of comfort food. Which — since Bruno and Luisa left? — has been... fairly often, even so many months later. It's a staple dish in the boys' house now. ]

[senorita_perfecta]

Yep, just as delicious with a healing of a different kind. That’s a great way to put it, Alberto. Glad that you have put some good faith in me that I can cook it well. Hopefully this attempt will end on a really good note.

(Isabela is about to get most of the stuff ready for the cooking portion and braces for whatever results may come out of it. She can definitely hope that somewhere in the universe, her family will be cheering her on as she gets many ingredients ready for ajiaco.)

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto keeps putzing about with his pasta. But he smiles to himself all the while. After a brief comfortable silence as they get to work, a fond but somewhat bittersweet memory comes to mind. ]

Y'know... the night Pepa came home— She and I made ajiaco together. It turned out great, heh. We needed it, too. She rained on me and it was, uh, y'know— emotional... For many reasons, ha...

[ Alberto throws Isabela a cautious glance. It occurs to him, that after all this time, he's not sure if Isabela knows he's not human. She may well have heard from her family by now, has been his operating assumption. But thinking back to that night with Pepa in March, he had been going under the same assumption that Bruno and Luisa had told everyone, and— it turns out they hadn't... Pepa didn't find out Alberto was a sea monster until she rained on him. He's always been raised under the impression that people talk, his father having drilled it into him so much to be cautious about being discovered by humans. But even when he realizes he doesn't need to be, that's his autopilot. He's not worried Isabela wouldn't accept him like the rest of the family. He trusts the Madrigals wholly by now. He's simply a little stunned to realize it's just— never come up! Because he hasn't felt the need to hide it, nor has he felt the need to admit it, feeling so comfortable and loved with them all... Still, he knows it's a bit of a shock, so he gently feels out whether or not Pepa'd filled her in... ]

[senorita_perfecta]

Um, is there something wrong right now?

(She has inquisitively asked as she is in middle of the food and bringing out the marinated chicken. By this point, Isabela has putting a lot of effort into not hiding behind a persona of a haughty person like she had done for several years these days but she didn’t know that Alberto was a teenaged sea monster despite having known him for a long time now.

For the longest time she always thought that if somebody had wished not to discuss something very personal, she would have respected that person’s wish, that is all. But still she didn’t want to interrupt the whole cooking session so suddenly by asking about a very personal detail in the middle of cooking.)

Meteor shower

[schoolingfish]

[It's Luca who comes to join him, silent at first as he watches the meteors fall, only announcing his presence with a soft 'wow' as the meteor shower is drawing to a close. This, of course, sets off the whole thing with Alberto getting startled. Luca laughs with him as Alberto calms down.]

Sorry, Alberto, I didn't know you didn't notice me. But wasn't that amazing?!

[prontissimo]

[ Seeing it's Luca washes him wish a wave of relief, bringing a wide, soft, genuine smile across his face as he beckons Luca to come sit with him. ]

Luca~! Dai... Heh~

[ His voice is gentle, glad for the company suddenly. He's had his alone time for the night. Surely he's had quite enough alone time in his life; he doesn't need too much more these days...! He pats his shoulder affectionately as he joins him, letting his hand linger there. ]

I thought you went home.

[ And he thought you were cleaning up your various messes, Alberto. Fair enough, yeah? ]