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kaisou2022-04-03 11:01 pm
April Event Log
April Event
Dominant Element: Earth
Waning Element: Water
※
"April Showers brings May flowers", as the saying goes. As as it seems in Kaisou, the saying rings very much true. Throughout the month, routine rain showers will blanket the city. It's the type of rain that's not heavy enough to cause flooding, just heavy enough to make for puddles and soak anyone who forgets an umbrella. On days that it's not raining, the weather is warm and spring-like. Green is appearing on the trees in bright colors and the early spring flowers are in full bloom.
Springtime in KaisouAfter a long winter, spring is finally in full swing. Even amongst all the rain, Kaisou seems to be renewed with the kind of vigor you only find during springtime. Restaurants break out their outdoor seating during sunny days, and there's plenty of sidewalk sales from various shops. On the weekends, the Farmer's Market in Central Square has begun it's yearly operations. You should stop by for a visit if you want some fresh produce and artisan goods sold at reasonable prices. While most of the stuff there is of the mundane variety, you'll find a few merchants selling more paranormal related items such as supernatural plants (mandrake, lady's mantle, etc) and potions that are both fresher and cheaper than what you normally find in Undertown.
Out in the Entertainment District, a strange looking building has appeared called the Gold Saucer. It's a casino and amusement park, full of fun activities including shopping, casino games, an arcade, and chocobo racing- completely normal stuff! Meanwhile out in Kami State Park, a new hot springs has opened up! Come relax in the warm waters, take a spa day, and fully live out your anime dreams. Both of these attractions, while being brand new, are treated by locals like it's always been around. Rather curious, you have to say.
Meanwhile in Undertown, the surge in people new to the paranormal has caught notice. Starting in April, the Enki Education Center (or EEC) will open its doors! The EEC will offers classes on various supernatural topics such as basic spellworking, potionbrewing, enchantments, creatures of the Spirit Realm (taught by Professor Willow), how to make the most of your abilities, and Microsoft Excel. There are classes created to appeal to different basic age groups (child, teen, adult), and these classes can either be a one-time seminar to a multi-week course. Classes are either paid for with money (with potential discounted rates for low income folks), or with the exchange for items from the Spirit Realm.
The EEC isn't the only new spot in Undertown! Just outside of Undertown's entrance, there is a new Denny's! Or rather, you think it's new but everyone else seems to act like it's always been there. Strangely enough, you can't find it using any map or GPS-based apps and it's not listed on any websites. While inside the Denny's, all clocks are frozen at 2am. The menu has all the standard Denny's meals, but also have some more unusual dishes such as Apple Blood, pie you have to imagine to eat, and a dish made of worms. Curiously no time seems to pass while you're in the Denny's, so it might be a great spot to go if you need extra time.
Finally, near the Zodiac offices a new pet shop has opened up! Remember back in February when Zodiac asked you to bring them some Pokemon? Well it seems they figured out how to breed those Pokemon that were handed over. The pet shop is full of dog, cat, rodent, and bird Pokemon (not including any legendaries or fossils) that you can buy for a prize slightly higher than a normal pet. All these Pokemon are mostly depowered while in the city, and will have to learn how to use their powers properly while in the Spirit Realm as they've been bred in captivity. Aren't you guys glad to see your work pay off?
Egg HuntWhile Easter Egg hunts are normally reserved for children, it seems the Spirit Vein has other thoughts on the matter. Throughout the town, beautifully decorated eggs are scattered around in easy-to-spot hiding places. Under a bench, behind your coffee mug, in your mailbox - some of them may even be stashed in places that you're pretty sure no one else would have access to. Some of these eggs are normal hardboiled eggs, while others are made of wood and can be opened up. Inside these wooden eggs, you'll find one of three options: a piece of chocolate, a coin or bill of ANY currency that equates to about $1 USD in value, or a slip of paper that has a piece of information about another person on the app. This information could be public knowledge, a lesser known fact, or even a secret they've never told anyone. What you do with this information? It's entirely up to you.
The Dream of the Simple LifeOn the night of April 12th, any character who sleeps will have the same dream. They will dream of a beautiful valley full of nature and small farms, but the dream is tinged with a sense of sadness - as if whatever is being shown here is long gone. In this dream, some strange looking creatures will speak to you. "We are the Junimos... Keepers of the forest. Please!" they say, "Please help restore our home!"
The following morning, April 13th, a new message from Zodiac is sent out
ALERT: POTENTIAL STABLE GATE IDENTIFIED IN CENTRAL SQUARE.
Element Classification: Earth
Danger Level: C
Designation: Stardew Valley
A new gate has been detected in Central Square Station. No reported hostility yet but there are some signs of dangerous elements. Foreign energy readings have been detected in the gate, causing it to destabilize. Zodiac request that you investigate and resolve the source of the destabilization. Durable work clothes are recommended.
The Zodiac Office is much calmer than last month. They explain that they too were contacted by the mysterious dream creatures. It seems this realm was once a peaceful nature realm, but something has caused it to fall out of balance. The researchers at Zodiac also have hope that if they are able to resolve the imbalance issue, they may be able to tether this realm to the city - allowing for the first stable gate in Kaisou. While they offer the usual weapons, they also offer a number of gardening tools. Strange! They will also note that just like the last realm, it seems time moves differently while in the realm. By their estimates, it's several days in that realm to an hour in Kaisou. In other words, don't worry too much about missing work. They also reassure that they've updated the Libra app to help keep better track.
Once you're all ready to go, it's off to Central Square Station, the train and subway station that's near the city hall of Kaisou. Standing on the east platform, a train that looks older than the other trains will pull up, with a destination sign of "STARDEW VALLEY". None of the normal people around you take any notice of the train, acting as if there's no train at all. Getting onto the passenger car, the train whistle will blow and the train will set off. A few minutes into the ride, you'll find yourself nodding off. Don't sleep? You'll either zone out or just black out.
When you wake up, you're no longer on the train but rather in the bed of a very small and old farm house, except three more beds have also been crammed into this tiny house - meaning you'll be sharing a place with up to four other people. There's also a small bathroom attached, with only a toilet and a sink. Any stuff that you brought with you has been carefully set on the table. There's an old TV that works, but only has three working channels: a weather channel, a fortune telling channel that'll give a personal horoscope for the day, and a channel that's all about giving farming tips and cooking recipes. On the table next to any stuff you brought, there's a to-do list that reads:
- Clear farmland
- Plant new crops
- Harvest new crops
- Cleanse the land
- Restore the town
- Restore the train station
Stepping out of this home, you'll find the house sits on a farm that's been overgrown with weeds, rocks, and trees. Scattered across the farmland are other farm houses as well, where other people who arrived on the train with you have been housed. This is the farmland that was meant to be cleared, so it's best to roll up your sleeves and get to work! Work together to pull up weeds, break stones, and cut down trees. For anyone who didn't bring tools, there's two boxes outside their farmhouse. The first one holds tools: a shovel, a pick, an axe, a scythe, a hoe, a fishing pole, and a watering can that can be refilled in the pond on the farm. The second box contains a bunch of plant seeds for spring growing: parsnips, potatoes, garlic, coffee beans, green beans, strawberries, rhubarb, kale, and tulips.
Once enough farmland has been cleared, it's time to get to planting. While having gardening knowledge certainly helps doing this, farming in this realm seems a lot easier. Till the land, spread some seeds, and water of them is all that needs to happen. Just a few days of watering will all the plants need before they're ready to be harvested (though you may have to fight off crows from eating them). That said, all of this can be rather tiring work, so you'll have to watch your energy levels to make sure you don't collapse. If you do collapse, you'll wake up back in the bed you woke up in. If anyone is around to witness your collapse, they will watch a group of Junimos appear and work together to haul the unconscious body back into the farmhouse before disappearing again. Nice fellows! Anyone who stays up too late in this realm will experience the same thing. Whenever 2am rolls around in the realm? Everyone that hasn't gone to bed will immediately collapse and wake up the next morning at 6am in their bed.
That said, you'll also need to eat as time passes in the realm. This might be difficult, as there's no real kitchen in your farmhouses. The advice show on the tv will give tips on how to forage tree seeds (such as pine cones, acorns and maple seeds) and spring foraging items. But don't worry, they'll show you how to make a field snack out of all those tree seeds you foraged (the taste is...acquired). You can attempt to fish from the pond on the farmland, but besides the tiniest of fish you're more likely to fish out garbage and unopened Joja Cola cans - which tastes basically like an off-brand coca-cola. If you got hunting skills and brought your own weapons, you might be able to hunt squirrels and rabbits - just be sure to cook them over a campfire first. Basically, you're going to be roughing it those first few days.
True to Zodiac's word, a new feature can be found on the Libra app. The feature is two clocks: one that tracks the time in Kaisou and one that tracks time in the Realm. Sure enough, every day that passes in the realm is no more than 20 minutes in Kaisou.
Exploring the ValleyThere's no viable way out of the realm on the farm, so you'll have to explore. The valley layout can be divided into three sections from the farm: Cindersap forest to the south, the mountain to the north, and Pelican Town to the east. However no matter which direction you go, you'll quickly notice that there's something very wrong with this realm: black and red cursed spots span across the land- sapping the color and life out of anything near them. Any living creature has either been turned to stone or mutated into monstrous versions of themselves. Likewise, directly touching any cursed spots will cause a great amount of pain and weakness through your body. This must be the foreign energy reading the Zodiac post spoke of. It'll need to be cleansed if you want this realm to turn to its former state.
Cindersap Forest: Marnie's Farm and Wizard Tower
Cindersap Forest was once a beautiful forest, full of trees great for lumber and complete with a river and lake that were once great fishing spots. There are two sources of the curse in the cindersap forest: Marnie's Ranch on the east side and the wizard tower in the west side. Marnie's Ranch has been overrun with the livestock, that have been cursed to walk on two legs and carry weapons, attacking anyone that gets near! Great! You'll have to find a way to get past these violent farm animals and get inside the ranch house. In one of the bedrooms, the curse source will be found: a pair of purple boxer shorts. Just removing them from the ranch will be enough to undo the curse and make the animals return to being normal animals-- but maybe you want to burn them for good measure. Just maybe.
Meanwhile at the Wizard's Tower, the tower has been overrun with slimes. These slimes are easy to defeat on their own, but can become dangerous when they group up or if you aren't careful. The tower itself is full of spell glyphs, spellbooks, and a cauldron with an unknown potion brewing. Be careful not to knock into any of these or you might get cursed. Defeating every slime in the tower will cleanse the tower.
Once both Marnie's Ranch and the Wizard Tower are cleared, all of Cindersap Forest will return to its former glory! You can now get actual fish from the river and lake, forage for better food, or buy a hat at the hat shop run by a mouse in the southern part of the forest (as per usual for a forest). Back on the farm, a barn will appear that's full of livestock (cows, pigs, sheep, horses, goats), as well as a chicken coop (full of chickens, ducks, rabbits, and void chickens). There's a box in each building that contains anything you'd need to care for these animals, and these animals can be cared for and used to get different animal products (milk, eggs, wool, etc). There's even machines that can be used to make cheese or mayo. Nice!
The Mountains: Robin's Carpentry Shop and the Adventurer's Guild
The mountains on the northern side of the valley were once a great place to go hiking and mining, but you'll need to clear the curse if you want it to return to that. Like Cindersap forest, there are two cursed spots: the Carpentry shop to the west, and the Adventurer's Guild to the east. At the carpentry shop, the cursed item is an unassembled ikea loft bed that you'll have to assemble -- without any instructions.
If you're not up to the challenge, the Adventurer's Guild has been overrun with skeletons to fight. Fight the skeletons, and that'll remove the curse. Much easier, right?
Once both challenges have been completed, the curse on the mountains will be lifted and you'll be free to explore. The mine is currently closed at this time, so you'll have to return to that later. However there's plenty to mine in the quarry and another fishing spot for all you fish enthusiasts. Meanwhile back on the farm, all the farmhouses will be upgraded so they will have a kitchen to actually cook things and a personal bedroom for everyone.
Pelican Town: Stardrop Saloon
A quiet rural town that too has been overtaken by the curse. In the town, there are several sources of the curse, one for each building. However before you can start to figure out where to start, your character will hear a male voice whisper in their ear to stop by the Saloon.
In the Stardrop Saloon, you'll find a mysterious man. He's a very charming and friendly man, but he does not give his name and simply states that he came to visit to have some of the fine liquor this realm offers, only to find it in such an dreadful state. Seeing that you're here to help, he says he has the perfect suggestion: a party to liven things up around here. And so you'll be invited to drink, dance, and party with this mysterious stranger. And what a party it is! With a snap of his finger, there's an endless supply of wine (juice for you any unable to drink alcohol) and party food. Musicians appear in the corner, ready to play any kind of music throughout the night. The air itself has a festive feeling to it, as if just being around this stranger causes you to get into the party mood. Characters will feel themselves loosen up, being more willing to get into the party mood and maybe say or do some things they normally wouldn't have to nerve to. Sing songs, play games, dance, tell great tales- just have the best time you can have! The night you spend partying with the stranger will be the only night that you can stay up past 2am, since what's a good party if it doesn't last until dawn?
While the stranger is happy to talk, flirt and tell stories (usually fun legends he's learned through the ages) - he'll evade any questions about himself or what he knows about the Spirit Realm. However, anyone who is possessed by a god who chats him up will have a sense that there's something familiar with about him. If he catches your staring, he'll give a wink and say "So you're with them huh? Haha, well then! Tell your patron sometime that ol' D says hello.". He does not elaborate further.
The next day you'll wake up either back in your farmhouse or wherever you passed out during the party. No matter how much you drunk, you don't have a hangover. Pelican Town is fully restored, with all the cursed spots resolved, but the mysterious stranger is nowhere to be found. With the town restored, you can now shop at the various shops. Not only that, but you can sell anything you make on the farm for money. Not bad!
Talking to all the townspeople who are now unfrozen will reveal that they are normal townspeople who don't seem to have much sense of what's life like outside their valley. They also only vaguely recall the curse as a bad storm. If you haven't destroyed those purple shorts, you'll find that they belong to the old mayor Lewis, who left his lucky shorts by accident after an, ahem, evening with the Ranch owner Marnie.
I warned you you should've burned those shorts.
Once every region of the Valley is cleansed, the Junomino will appear on the farm to thank everyone! They will inform you that they've repaired the train that'll take them back to Kaisou. While there's still more work that needs to be done in the valley, that can wait for another time. The train station can be found up in the mountains, north of the Carpentry shop. Riding the train will return everyone back to Kaisou, safe and sound. If you had to the Zodiac office, they'll be extremely pleased at your efforts and reward you with money. They'll also inform you that this particular gate has been successfully tethered- meaning Stardew Valley will always be a place you can return to, should you ever want to revisit the simple life.
The dominant element this month is earth! 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 water 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.
Regarding housing of the farmhouses, whoever you share a farmhouse with is up to you! There are a maximum of four occupants per house. However for the sake of building CR, only one of your roommates can be someone your character resides with back in Kaisou. If you want a random pair up, please comment to the roommate finder on the OOC plotting. If you rather not find a roommate and handwave them being somewhere in the farm, you can do that too! It's purely optional.
Any fights or interactions with NPCs will be handled by the players! Feel free to thread out things however you'd like! If you have any questions, please ask them on the plot questions thread below! The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.
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Y'see, I couldn't help but notice you were...staring? Looking? Staring in my...general direction? So I wondered if you needed anything. What with the. Staring.
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Oh. Sorry, nah, I don't need anything. Don't mind me. I'm good.
[ ...that doesn't mean Bruno's good, Alberto. He goes back to his mysterious handiwork — aaand after a few moments of not staring, a false lapse of peace, long enough to assume he'd gotten the hint, there he goes— he's leaning over to catch a glance again. The hell. ]
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Bruno heaves out a sigh, moving to get out of bed, trying to peer at what Alberto is up to.]
What are you working on, anyway?
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His answer is not that much more clarifying, but he says it with all the confidence as if it's obvious. ]
Him. That.
[ What may or may not be immediately apparent is that he's in fact pointing to the nearest rat... Buuut Alberto doesn't know what a rat is called. So that's all Bruno gets. Plus a knife. ]
no subject
...How did you get a knife?
[Maybe that shouldn't be a thing a child should have? He looks around, not quite getting that...he means a rat.]
Uh? Me? Me-him? Or...is there...[he looks around them] are you seeing something else? Here?
no subject
Uhhh— Iii— brought it? Did you not bring knives?
[ Multiple, evidently. He's brought multiple knives. Technically, a knife is not illegal to buy, even for a fourteen-year-old, especially given self-checkouts at grocery stores in Kaisou, since none of his knives are all that specialty, but... it's still a disconcerting thought. Especially given "am I going to be stabbed" even crosses Bruno's mind. But to Alberto, this is not even a question. They're coming on some crazy adventure, he's coming prepared? If only just for boredom, apparently.
He sits up more properly finally, still looking toward Bruno, rather confused and a bit incredulous. As he rises and pushes himself forward, an accumulated collection of wooden chips and clippings fall off him, onto his bed, over the edge, and onto the floor in cascades, like a small avalanche. He'd just been. Lying like that. Letting that all build up carelessly all over himself. Does not even bat an eyelash now that there's woodcuttings all over his bedspread, whatever. He's holding some piece of wood in his hand he'd been propping himself up in, now seen a bit better as he leans forward while talking to Bruno more head-on — buuut he's still waving around the knife in the other hand, gesturing expressively as if he isn't, y'know, waving a knife around. ]
Anyway, not you — him. That thing. Right there.
[ ...the rat. Rat. Rat's just chilling, man, clearly has a latent talent as a rat art model. Very natural posing. ]
no subject
[WHO GAVE THE CHILD KNIVES?!!
Alberto gets up and Bruno eyeballs him a little cautiously- definitely leaning out of the way of the waving knife. He turns to look at the rat, then back at Alberto.]
...You mean the rat?
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Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey—! First of all! I'm not ten. I am four-teen! [ Said in a way that only a fourteen-year-old can say. So insulted. ]
Second of all: I am definitely old enough to have knives? Uh? We're gonna need knives! And we'll all probably be using mine, since apparently no one else brought any. I brought a chef's knife, a pocket knife, and a serrated knife. And a bunch of other useful stuff. What'd you bring?
[ Forget the rat for now. They'll get back to that. Alberto needs to defend his honor. Aaand he's maybe... a little hotheaded and immature and has some problems with emotional control. Ahem. ]
no subject
Ohhhhhh, fourteen! Right, right. Sorry, it wasn't clear.
[This is adorable. He's so affronted!!!]
...Oh, Dios mío. that's so many knives. [TOO MANY KNIVES!!!] And- okay, yeah, maybe we do need knives, but maybe adults should have them? Because adults...are safer with them?
[That's fair logic, right?! And then he hesitates because he was woefully unprepared for this.]
I...do not have any knives. No. I've got rats? [He gestures at the rat! The rat is totally helpful!]
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So he rolls his eyes and lets out a quiet raspberry of a scoff, then sets the knife and woodblock off to his side and sits back in his bed to prop himself up with his hands from behind now instead, always seemingly dynamic in his movements like he can't sit still too long. At least it's a more relaxed and open position, though, no accusatory pointing; his tone is a little defused, too... though still skeptical, as he turns his eye on the rat, then back on Bruno. ]
Okaaayyy... What can it do?
[ ...? A strange question? And obviously in earnest? "What can a rat do?" As if he's— never heard of rats...? Bruno may have partially meant it tongue-in-cheek, but Alberto takes the answer at face value in the context that the rats are the useful things he's brought — part of his "roughing it" supplies list. Still, this combined with that he didn't know what to call the rat he'd been pointing at, it's... odd. Increasingly odd, odd child... ]
no subject
It'll be a short-lived victory but he will enjoy it while it lasts.]
What? You mean the rat?
[He looks at the rat, then at Alberto. He then picks up the rat and wanders over, ready to give some choice RAT FACTS.]
Okay so rats have really strong teeth that never stop growing- they have to chew things to keep them down. They're really social and make friends in their little rat groups! Like they share food and everything, they make real buddies. They're suuuuper smart and can be trained to do all kinds of things. THIS rat in particular is an actor.
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Alberto is far more interested in the rat anyway, and eager to steer the conversation back to that after this attack on his character for owning completely normal household items. Ahem. He's still a little stiff and not sure what to make of the rat, having had, uh, pretty poor experiences with cats, aaand... limited contact with most other land animals. Except seagulls. Which have been marginally better than cats. So forgive his wary eye as Bruno approaches with the rat in hand, but still he brushes off some woodchips off the bed, onto the floor, and scoots over to make room for Bruno (and the rat) to sit down, an unspoken invitation despite his skeptical face.
He doesn't seem all that impressed about any of the first fun Rat Facts. There are way weirder "Fish Facts" than "their teeth never stop growing," and Alberto considers most animals as being a lot more like people than humans seem to. Sea monsters talk to their fish, are understood — eeeven if dolphins choose not to respond in intelligible language, that's just because they're snobs. But animals are all equally people.
Even if you kill them for a living and eat them, whatever, è la vita.Likewise, though, sea monsters don't use money, they share everything, a trading society more than anything. So rats forming friendships and sharing food is just as much a given in Alberto's eyes. Even if he's never done those things, y'know, not being part of society, but he knows how it works. An actor, though? That's something else entirely. He's never heard of any actor cats, so this must be a special rat. ]...He's an actor? Like in the cinema? Who's he, Marcello Mousetroianni?
[ Ha... The pun may be lost, but Alberto can smile to himself. He knows, like... a very tiny handful of human actors. He could probably count their names on one hand. He's seen about the same handful of movies, too. But he's familiar enough to be impressed, and that's clear on his face as he leans in curiously to eye the rat a little closer, his sour attitude visibly loosening up a bit. ]
no subject
Bless his heart.
Bruno does at least take the invitation, sitting down, the rat still perched happily on his palm. With his free hand, Bruno reaches up to pet the rat on the top of the head. One day, he might learn the snobbishness of dolphins and that will be a wonderful day- but for now, he is just happy to be talking about rats to a questionably willing but definitely captive audience. ]
Oh... no, this one's called Lorenzo. [His pun is so tragically lost. It was such a good pun, he did his best and it was all for naught. The rat sniffs at Alberto, his little whiskers twitching. ] He plays in my telenovelas.
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Ha— Lorenzo? Really? Does he have a rat-wife named Daniela, heh?
[ He seems so tickled by this for some yet unknown reason. But it's a seemingly uncanny guess that he should ask if Bruno also has a rat named Daniela... ...Huh... ]
no subject
Well. In the story I've been telling, he is in love with a rat named Daniela. He just hasn't told her yet. There's a lot of yearning. One day, he might be able to tell her how he feels!
fisjndk i edited and my paid account expired that very second you replied and it ate my icon lol sob
[ Alberto's grin turns a little fonder, reaching his eyes more, as he lets his gaze drift down curiously to the rat now. He's even more smitten with this serendipitous little bond, and it's like finally the smarmy, cocky shield he puts up drops a little. He goes along with this "story" (whatever Bruno means by that, because of course Alberto won't ask what a telenovela is, he'll figure it out if it's important) as if it's fact — acting more playful like a kid should. He wags his finger gently at the rat after it's sniffed him, leaning slightly closer to address it and shooting it a knowing smile, good humor in his voice. ]
Ehi, you don't let her scare you, Signor! You gotta show her it's okay to take chances! Forza!
[ Does not miss a beat leaning into this narrative, improvising off his own cuff to... give the rat a pep talk. So— sweet...? Earnest? Funny? Who knows if that matches the story Bruno's been telling, but, like, that's— not the point of playing? Worrying about continuity is not how you play pretend. And at last shedding that snarky, indignant attitude, defending that he's more grown than he is, Alberto slips into his imagination as comfortably as if he'd never left it. The difference between Alberto with adults and Alberto with other kids is stark, but when he finds those little moments he can let his guard down — indeed, the overlap is that the genuine Alberto is playful and affectionate and imaginative. It's a first glimpse into that lightheartedness and tenderness, since these two have gotten off on such a strange foot to start, Bruno having met an even more feral Alberto than anyone else ever has... And that's saying something. On top of, you know, the Bruno stuff. But this is also the most Alberto's smiled around Bruno since meeting him, for sure. A brighter bit of transparency.
Eeeven if there's still the knife sitting off to his side, though. Aheh. If Bruno does glance at it, now that he's close by, however, he will notice what it was Alberto was working on: he was whittling what can only be the rough outline of a little rat figurine... He'd been carving it from sight. That's what was with all the staring. He's actually made decently fast work of it, for the time they've been in the room together — so obviously not his first stab at this. Just his first time seeing a rat.
Rats. Bringing people together. The rat is totally helpful. ]
OH NO the universe is cruel!!!
[Bruno watches as Alberto leans in to speak to the rat. This is adorable and it endears Alberto even more to him. To see him speak to the rat like he's a little person...well, it means a whole lot, and Bruno's expression might be softening a tad as he watches. ]
That's what I keep saying. You've got to be brave, right? Or the chance might be gone forever.
[He realises, belatedly, that it's actually kind of nice to see the kid smile. To see him just...bed a kid. Instead of the strange, guarded guy he first came across. He wonders again, who hurt him (another Bruno, likely) who made this kid put up the sort of walls a kid should never have to construct. Maybe with walls like that, the knives are a necessity.
He does glance over and see this little rat figuring and ah...that makes sense. He makes a little noise, nodding in the direction of Alberto's work. ]
That's really cool. You've been doing that for the last little while?
no subject
When Bruno nods toward the carved figure, Alberto's line of sight follows his. He picks the little wooden half-rat up, and holds it out for Bruno to see. ]
Oh. Yeah. That's what I told you — I was looking at him.
[ He skips a beat, then throws Bruno an exaggeratedly flat, sarcastic look, and grabs the pocket knife with his other hand, holding that out, too. ]
And that's why I have a knife... Heh.
[ He drops the snarky stare to let it melt into a more playful smirk, not so much defensive as almost... making fun of how defensive he'd been before. ...Well, maybe still a little defensive. He's still not giving up that knife. ]
no subject
I mean, I still think it's probably not super safe, but at least you're not using it to stab a person, right? Hah.
[HAH. Still, he offers a smile.]
But it is pretty good. Do you do that a lot? The...wood stabbing? [He means whittling. ]
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Uhhhhh— y-yeah, sort of... My boss back home showed me how. Well— he didn't show me, exactly — since, y'know, he's got one arm. This isn't his hobby, eheh... But, Massimo's the one who told me to try it. So, I've just kept it up! I like it. Like, when I'm bored. It's fun to make little "somethings" like this — I dunno what you'd call it, it's just a, uh— ehh, una cosina...!
[ He waves the half-made little rat at Bruno demonstratively, gesturing as he speaks as always, as he lands on a term for his handiwork; albeit, the term he lands on is in Italian, but a close enough cognate with Spanish "cosita" to pique Bruno's ears, probably. Just another weird little almost-overlap between them... Many types of mutual intelligibility developing here, it seems, bit by bit. ]
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Maybe he is a little invested in this kid's life. Just a little. ]
Wow. Your uh...boss sounds like he does a lot for you, huh? It sounds like he looks out for you a lot. What-what about your parents?
[He does pick up on the cosina- and can make some sense of that. He offers a little encouraging smile. ]
It's really cool, I like it a lot.
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Parent. It's just me and my dad. What about him?
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...That's okay, I only had my mamá. My papá died when I was born. [Literally same day.] I was just curious, is all. Your...boss shows you a lot of cool stuff and I wondered if your dad had, too.
[He has some suspicions. The kid hasn't mentioned his dad once, but he's full of tidbits about this boss of his. It tells a story without saying a word and he's worried. ]
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His dad didn't die. He left. He left because Alberto was old enough to take care of himself, which Alberto has internalized as the truth ever since, because that's what he did; after years without his dad, he's rationalized it as the reasonable thing that was supposed to happen... even if he had wished his dad would change his mind. And so, really, deep down, Alberto doesn't have a hatred for his father — doesn't think he's a horrible person, or even a horrible father — because that was his normal, with no other point of reference until long after his father had already left. And besides— who would wait around for someone horrible...?
Bruno's question gives Alberto pause to consider, eyeing the man empathetically when he mentions his own parents. He doesn't give a verbal response, but the look he gives is enough to convey his apologies without words. He's fourteen — what's he supposed to say? But after a moment, he takes a breath, picks up the wooden half-rat and knife again, and leans back in his bed against the wall casually, as he starts to idly whittle while answering Bruno's question, not making eye contact with him anymore. He crosses one leg over the other and fidgets by bouncing his foot in the air, even while fidgeting by whittling, like just one bit of stimming isn't enough. But despite this shift in energy, the nonchalance is both seemingly affected and yet... strangely genuine. He isn't lying, that much is clear, maybe; but he's speaking with noticeably less excitement and fondness than he'd spoken about Massimo, something more airy in his voice, yet barely pointed, almost rehearsed — something more general in the way he describes his dad, rather than endeared specifics like with his boss... But still he wears a half-hearted smile and there's a distant fondness in his eyes as he chips away at the rat's face and ears. Just the tender look on his face evokes this odd contrast between his words and his tone. It tells a story quite between the lines, indeed. ]
...Heh. Yeah. Of course. My dad's great — he's the coolest. He knows everything about everything~ And he's been pretty much everywhere! My dad tells the best stories about all the places he's been. He's super funny, too — and super smart. He's taught me all kinds of cool stuff! He can do, like, anything, hah. He doesn't need anyone else...
[ He trails off on that odd closing note, like this is the most admirable trait, but something in his wistful smile twitches. Notable that he speaks about his father in the present tense, so clearly not dead, but... something still seems subtly incongruent somehow. ]
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It's never really occurred to him that other people would live with this loss without the crippling guilt that came with his father's death. So yes, there is a great deal of concern in his tone. In his expression. He doesn't quite know how to handle this. He finds he's...lacking the social skills to navigate these dangerous waters, but he really does want to try.
He watches Alberto fidget, and he offers a smile of apology back. He certainly doesn't want to drop all of his trauma onto a kid- hell, he can nearly deal with it on his own and he's had fifty years to get used to it. He tries not to mirror the kid's movements. As his worry grows, the desire to start knocking on wood is biting into the back of his skull. He tries his best to push back on it. Not now.
That doesn't work so well, and unconsciously, his hand balls into a fist and raps gently on the bedside table- mentally he thinks knock-knock-knock-knock-on-wood. ]
Wow.
[He lets that wow sit between them for a moment, trying to find the right follow-up to this. It doesn't feel right and he can't put his finger on why. He just knows he feels...uneasy. Protective, perhaps, a little. But from what he's not quite sure yet. ]
He- well. He sounds like he's really someone special. Like he's...got it all together. It's- well, he's got you at least, right?
[That's not what Bruno is asking. ]
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