Luca Paguro (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
schoolingfish) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
kaisou2022-05-09 06:05 pm
schoolingfish) wrote in kaisou2022-05-09 06:05 pm
Entry tags:
[Action: Open]
WHO: Luca and you!
WHERE: Somewhere in the city
WHEN: Right after Luca's arrival
WHAT: He just got out of the labyrinth, found a weird device with directions on how to use it, and he's trying to figure out what's going on
WARNINGS: Fear of extreme isolation and mentions of whale carcass
Luca doesn't know how he got here. One moment he's on Genova, the next he's suddenly deep underwater. He's never been to the part of the sea he finds himself in before, but he instantly knows where he is, because it's exactly how he pictured it. The Deep.
It's dark. Completely pitch black, nothing to see. Nothing to hear, either. It's quiet, incredibly quiet, enough to make him feel alone and isolated because clearly there aren't any other sea monsters around. He doesn't even hear any other fish or sea life around to catch his interest. There's just...nothing to see or do, just endless emptiness with nothing to engage him but his thoughts...and the smell of rotting whale meat that seems to permeate the water.
Why is he here? He was in Genova, on land. His parents had gone back on this, they weren't going to send him here. He shouldn't be here!
Terrified, not of any imminent threat because there certainly doesn't seem to be one, but of being trapped in this place while he slowly goes mad from the endless monotony, living off the bits and pieces of floating whale carcass that he feels brush past his skin as they float past, he screams.
"No! No, no, no, no, no! I'm not supposed to be here!" he yells out to no one, because no one's there to hear.
Luca then takes off, desperately swimming up to escape the Deep, even though he can't see any signs of even the slightest sliver of light piercing the darkness to indicate that he might be escaping.
He's in such a frenzied panic that he doesn't even know how he ends up reaching land, only that he finds himself in a new place he's never been before. He quickly shakes himself off to remove any remaining droplets of water, triggering his transformation back into his human form. Still trembling slightly from the sheer panic of thinking he'd be trapped in the Deep, he looks around and spots a nearby bench and decides to have a seat. That's when he notices the strange, rectangular device next to where he's sitting, and under the device is a little booklet with directions on it's use. Strange...why would something like this just be left here? Is it for anyone to just pick up and use? It must be, because why else would someone leave it with step by step instructions on how to use it?
Curious, Luca picks up and starts messing with the strange device, following the instructions to try and understand it.
WHERE: Somewhere in the city
WHEN: Right after Luca's arrival
WHAT: He just got out of the labyrinth, found a weird device with directions on how to use it, and he's trying to figure out what's going on
WARNINGS: Fear of extreme isolation and mentions of whale carcass
Luca doesn't know how he got here. One moment he's on Genova, the next he's suddenly deep underwater. He's never been to the part of the sea he finds himself in before, but he instantly knows where he is, because it's exactly how he pictured it. The Deep.
It's dark. Completely pitch black, nothing to see. Nothing to hear, either. It's quiet, incredibly quiet, enough to make him feel alone and isolated because clearly there aren't any other sea monsters around. He doesn't even hear any other fish or sea life around to catch his interest. There's just...nothing to see or do, just endless emptiness with nothing to engage him but his thoughts...and the smell of rotting whale meat that seems to permeate the water.
Why is he here? He was in Genova, on land. His parents had gone back on this, they weren't going to send him here. He shouldn't be here!
Terrified, not of any imminent threat because there certainly doesn't seem to be one, but of being trapped in this place while he slowly goes mad from the endless monotony, living off the bits and pieces of floating whale carcass that he feels brush past his skin as they float past, he screams.
"No! No, no, no, no, no! I'm not supposed to be here!" he yells out to no one, because no one's there to hear.
Luca then takes off, desperately swimming up to escape the Deep, even though he can't see any signs of even the slightest sliver of light piercing the darkness to indicate that he might be escaping.
He's in such a frenzied panic that he doesn't even know how he ends up reaching land, only that he finds himself in a new place he's never been before. He quickly shakes himself off to remove any remaining droplets of water, triggering his transformation back into his human form. Still trembling slightly from the sheer panic of thinking he'd be trapped in the Deep, he looks around and spots a nearby bench and decides to have a seat. That's when he notices the strange, rectangular device next to where he's sitting, and under the device is a little booklet with directions on it's use. Strange...why would something like this just be left here? Is it for anyone to just pick up and use? It must be, because why else would someone leave it with step by step instructions on how to use it?
Curious, Luca picks up and starts messing with the strange device, following the instructions to try and understand it.
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Haha, perfect~ Then that's that! That's our new dream life now, ha! And in the meantime, while we're working on it, we'll just have fun, heh~
[ He grabs a pan and starts heating up some oil over the stove, then abruptly hands Luca an empty pot sitting on the stovetop, pointing with his other hand to the sink, before shoving a big salt grinder at him. ]
Here— Fill this with water, okay? Then put this salt in it. Like— a lot of salt. Make it like the ocean, ahah~!
[ Because naturally, even if Alberto's holding the reins as he did when they embarked on their first adventure living in a human town, this is still a team effort. Every step of the way. He's keen to involve Luca on anything he does now — but especially something as enjoyable and necessary as cooking. Luca will pick up all sorts of kitchen tips from Alberto quickly enough — whether or not they're, well, sound, that's another matter... But if it tastes good, it tastes good, and if nothing caught fire, then... that's a success, in this home. ]
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[Luca's just glad he can help! And making a pot of water with enough salt to be like the ocean, that's something he can do! He knows exactly what the ocean's like! He fills the pot with water, and starts grinding salt into it. And more salt. Just...all the salt. All his experience with ocean water, of course, is based on the Ligurian sea, which is more densely salted than the more open regions of the ocean, so he'll just keep going until either there is no more salt, or until it's so salty that your hand will come out with salt on it if you stick it in. Whichever comes first.]
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He tunes back into what Luca's doing almost in time to save the pasta water. Just barely missed the Salty Point of No Return, noticing the the salt grinder is now almost empty... and bursts out laughing. ]
Hahah! Dai, that'll do, Luca, that'll do, hah~!
[ He comes over, leaning against Luca with his elbow on his shoulder, peering into the pot with a wide grin. He sticks his other hand in the pot to stir the water up some, examining the tiny beads of salt between the purple webbing of his now-clawed fingers when he pulls his hand out. ]
Hah, yup... Thaaaat's the ocean, haha~ Knew you'd be a good salter, heh.
[ He claps Luca on the back, shaking his hand dry, then shleps the pot of water back over to the stove to boil it. Thank goodness there are no humans eating this meal... or else it'd be enough salt to make their lips pucker. ]
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Heh. Well, at least it'll taste like home!
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[ He pats Luca on the back encouragingly, before stepping off to start frying up the garlic and peperoncini in the heated oil. Like anything else he does in life, everything about Alberto's body language cooking seems to evoke like he knows exactly what he's doing. He chats on happily as he stirs the pan, splitting his attention comfortably to keep facing Luca, smile still stuck on his face. ]
Y'know, Massimo taught me some stuff — but I really learned how to cook from this guy in the fairy realm. Paddy. He worked in the kitchen; he taught me stuff after dinner sometimes. I asked to work in the castle — cuz, y'know, they gave me a fancy bed, and I ate three feasts a day, and the fairies were so nice...! I had to do something, right? It was great, though. You would've loved it, Luca. I wished you'd been there, actually— they asked me questions about sea monster stuff I didn't really know the answer to...
[ After all, Alberto wasn't really raised with other sea monsters, either. He knew enough, sure, especially from things his father told him of his own experience with sea monster society, but there's only so much he can speak to without firsthand experience living in it. Besides — his father's opinion of sea monster society was not all that favorable... He chose to permanently live on land, after all — to even raise a child on land, unheard of...! Pretty drastic counter-culture flex. Alberto's not the best ambassador for sea monster kind. The fairies would have fawned over Luca. ]
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[Because from the perspective of a boy who grew up sleeping on a bed made of smooth, moss covered rocks, then went on to sleep on the wood planks of a tree fort once he and Alberto ran away together, the bed he'd seen when he was first looking around this place seemed pretty impressive. The idea that the fairies might have given him one that was even nicer seems downright amazing.]
Oh, I wish I was there, too. It sounds amazing.
[And if he'd been there, that would have meant that Alberto didn't have to be without him for so long. He thinks about what Alberto said, though, and...it makes him kind of sad that Alberto doesn't know about sea monster stuff.]
And...if you ever have questions about sea monster stuff, I'd be glad to tell you about it.
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[ Very excited over this ineffable softness... He was gung-ho about the beds in the castle, sincerely. He got very good at properly making beds and folding sheets, as per the fae staff's instruction, which he now considers an invaluable surface-life skill he takes pride in... but his own bed has too freakin' many pillows for it to even really matter. Just like Luca, he's charmed by the novelty of comfortable sleep stuff, period. He slept in a poorly strung-up hammock all his life or simply on the deck atop his tower, on warm balmy nights. Their refuge in Giulia's tree fort was barely an improvement: they each had one pillow, but no blankets... Later on, he enjoyed bed privileges at Massimo's, who kept himself relegated to the cot in the kitchen after Luca left with Giulia, just as whenever Giulia visited, sacrificing the only bedroom for Alberto to have... a detail Alberto still hasn't exactly put together in hindsight. He was so excited to have a bed, once he'd slept in it; if he'd realized he was "taking it" from Massimo, he would have felt bad. Which is something Massimo was probably keenly aware of. So Alberto just relished in Massimo's modest means, as if they were rich. They might as well have been. He knows no better. His bed in Kaisou is even nicer than the bed in Giulia's room, considering modern mattress technology and all, but it's far from a luxury mattress. Zodiac provided it, standard issue; it came with the apartment. So the fairies' decadently comfortable accommodations felt, indeed, otherworldly to him — when in fact, it probably wasn't even... magic... just an extra nice bed... and beddings with an impressively high thread count. He has no idea this kind of luxury is still technically available to him in the city, if he really wanted it. So for now, fancy beds are just another magical detail in the fairytale life he's been living here.
He plays with the herbs in the pan with his spoon as he talks, but looks up in delighted epiphany when he comes up with the cloud analogy. He points the wooden spoon at Luca emphatically when he makes that note; Luca will like that image, he's sure of it. He goes about plopping the pasta into the over-salted water, now that it's boiling. Luca offering to tell him more about sea monster culture strikes a bittersweet nerve with him, too, as the same realization comes to his own mind; it draws his gaze into the pasta water for a little bit too long of a silent beat... But shrugs his shoulders and goes right back to work with prepping the rest of the herbs and simple sauce in the pan. ]
...Beh...— I don't remember all their questions. They asked me what school was like for kids undersea. But pfft, I wouldn't know?! They asked me all kinds of stuff like that... About sea monster music. Superstitions. Folktales. History. Table manners — I dunno why they were really interested in that one... Just— Boh. Stuff like that.
[ Luca's question was not for the fairies' sake, Alberto; it was for yours... But far be it for Alberto to openly admit to not knowing something even as he's detailing exactly what he doesn't know. They've been forever so focused together on learning about human stuff; flipping the script is not unwelcome, but... uneasy. He's technically had more exposure to human culture than sea monster culture his entire life, barring the fact that the only people he'd ever met were sea monsters, and he didn't meet any humans until mere months ago... yet that really is where his expertise lies by comparison to his own kind, and even he knows that expertise is shakier than he makes it out to be to others. But it's still leagues beyond what he knows about sea monster society. And that's a weird feeling to sit with for him, too. Where to even start...? ]
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[He half whispers that, caught up in Alberto's description, fantasizing about this magical fairy bed and wishing he could somewhow sleep in a bed like that himself. But when Alberto goes on, listing all the things he didn't know...Luca wishes he could have been there for another reason. So that Alberto could have heard about all those things. It makes Luca sad to think that Alberto was so completely separated from all of that, especially since he now knows he didn't really know that much about the human world, either. The thing is, Luca doesn't really care about telling the fairies those things, or what they wanted to know. He wants Alberto to know.]
Alberto...do you want to know those things?
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...I mean, yeah, sure. If you wanna tell me, you can.
[ Right, right, flip it on Luca... He's full of it. But after a second, he flashes Luca a funny, coy smile that says at least Alberto knows he's full of it. And just like that, that little smile flips his backhanded response into more of a subtle, tongue-in-cheek joke. Luca knows better than anyone that Alberto's ego is about as soft as the clouds and seafoam they'd been imagining; but for all the airs he puts on, his heart is just as soft, and just like Luca, he means well and loves to learn... even when he's embarrassed by just how much he needs to learn, apparently. ]
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Well, we don't really have school. That's why I was so excited when I heard about Giulia's school. Our parents and other people in the village teach us about everything. For our music...a lot of our music is just singing, but sometimes we'll click together oyster shells if we want a more percussive sound. And our table manners are...well, pretty much what yours are already. We eat with our hands. Of course, it's pretty easy because we mostly eat stuff like chopped up fish wrapped in seaweed and oysters and stuff like that. And we have a lot of superstitions and folk tales. Do you want me to explain fish grave yards?
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I know a little about the fish graveyards... I know where they are, I mean. ...Do you really think they're haunted? Have you seen ghosts there?
[ Alberto would say he's not so sure he buys it, had you asked him last week. But the night before last, he had his own run-in with a ghost here in Kaisou — he thinks it was a ghost, at least. He's still not totally sure. Hasn't mentioned it to anyone for sea monster-y reasons. But it put his natural skepticism in suspension a bit... ]
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[Of course, they're not actually haunted at all, but Luca doesn't know this, having accepted the explanation he got growing up, fully intending to hold onto the belief until he's given more information to make him question it.]
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[ A fair question. Of course more interested in the fantastical element over the traditions themselves, though... ]
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Fine. What about music? Can you sing any songs? Just use spoons if you need shells... There.
[ He points to the silverware drawer with the pasta spoon, a stray noodle sliding off it and falling to the floor. He doesn't acknowledge it. In fact, he very obviously expects Luca to just— burst out into song on command... no restraint, no shame, no inhibitions. Ahem. Not everyone spent their whole lives in chronic solitude, Alberto... ]
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[He's a little nervous, but it's not like he hasn't heard Alberto's singing plenty of times, so while Luca might be a bit more shy and nervous in his presentation than Alberto is, he's definitely going for it. He grabs a pair of spoons and starts singing. The song starts out slow and melodic, emphasizing melody over any actual words. After a while the tempo picks up, adding in the clank of spoons for rhythm and emphasis.]
((OOC: And I'm just winging this and wasn't able to come up with a sound clip to represent the second part, and obviously this is all in Luca's voice so not as good, but I hope it gives you a vague idea!))
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Bravo! Bravo~ Amazza, Luca~!
[ Applause and encouragement is all he can give, really; he has so little other point of reference to contribute anything back. It's all certainly out of his element, ironically, unfortunately. His dad taught him some little ditties... but his dad taught him mostly human songs he'd picked up along his way. Alberto really is farther distanced from his own kind's culture than humans', so a moment like this is particularly magical and fascinating. Nevermind that he's already on cloud nine just that Luca's here at all, after so long; but even after so long, it's as if they'd just seen each other yesterday... Delve right into engaging conversations about who-knows-what, creative off-the-cuff, perpetually in awe of something... As per their usual. So much has changed, and so much is unfamiliar... but not moments like this. ]
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[He says this with a small, shy smile, pleased at the praise but somewhat surprised by it. After all, there was really nothing special about Luca's singing or his song from his own perspective, but he's glad that Alberto really seemed to like it.]
Maybe sometime we can go swimming and find some shells and we can sing it together underwater.
[That way Alberto can get the full experience.]
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[ He smiles at that suggestion, crinkling his eyes at Luca. He'd imagined it probably sounds better underwater. He doesn't care, though; doing things well doesn't matter to him — he just cares about doing things. And in any case, Luca could sneeze and Alberto would tell him he's the best sneezer.
He nods enthusiastically, checking on the pasta, then goes about draining it into a colander. A billow of steam erupts from the pot as he leans over it, drawing the barest hint of purple to his face like a tint. He rubs his hand down his face roughly, though, and it's gone in an instant. ]
All right, finito~ Luca, grab two forks, and two bowls from in there.
[ He points to the cupboard with the pasta spoon, then sets to tossing the spaghetti around in the frying pan to coat it with the sauce he'd made. Successful lunch, made just by them, no grownups, totally human-ing and adult-ing so well already on their own...! Look at them go — what a good omen for Luca's new life here. Now their independence just needs to pass the taste test... ]
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[He puts the spoons back in the drawer and grabs two forks and a couple of bowls, eagerly going over to the table and setting them out for the two of them. He can't wait to try Alberto's cooking.]
you can go whichever way you'd like w this! Alberto's cooking runs a wide gamut of quality lol
As he takes his seat, he shoots his friend a big grin, almost conspiratorial, and gestures showily at Luca's dish for him to take the first bite. Now is the moment of truth... ]
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Sticking the fork in, he spins it like Giulia showed him, before taking a bite. And it was delicious! Incredibly salty, but since Luca's used to eating food that's literally permeated with water from the Ligurian sea, that's not a bad thing.]
Mmm!
[He tries to devour his food enthusiastically...but it's so much harder to eat fast when using a fork, and there's definitely a few times he has to remind himself to twirl then try to lift the spaghetti to his mouth.]
This is really good!
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Mmhmm! I taught myself this one. Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino. It's super easy — I'll teach you next time. And, tonight, I'll make us trenette al pesto. Mine is aaalmost as good as Massimo's. ...Almost. Heh~
[ He gives Luca a little smirk over his fork, raising his brows in jest. He's talking with his mouth full half the time, but... whatever. ]
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Yeah, Giulia showed me how to use one during the triathlon...it's way harder than eating normally. But I think it helps me human really convincingly!
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[ Alberto points his fork at Luca for emphasis, grinning still. He pauses, though, and his smile fades, as he tags on a little more gently... ]
...You know— you don't have to use one if you don't want to. I don't always use it. S'good to practice, but, ha— you've had kiiind of a rough day, right?
[ To put it lightly. But it's a good reminder that Luca's in like company now — no need to practice human-ing, or any reason to be polite at all... No one to set any rules, just two sea monster boys doing whatever they want in the privacy of their own home. Alberto's only rule is that there are no rules. ]
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wrap?
Works for me!