closed;

[prontissimo]

WHO: Alberto and Katsuki
WHERE: The forest
WHEN: Early November
WHAT: Fungus Among Us side quest!
WARNINGS: nope, all is kosher!


un: signorvespa
want to make some easy money
(probably)?

[ This is as foreboding a way to open a text conversation as any. Well, coming from Alberto it is. But that's what Katsuki has come to expect of this chaotic cryptid child he found foraging in the forest... and here they find themselves, foraging in the forest again. This time, hopefully will not involve counting one hundred nickels from a sock full of coins Alberto pulled out of his pocket. That was... something that happened... indeed.

No, ominous as that opening text is, this mission seems far more promising. They get to hang out with a cute pig-creature-thing and don't have to do much foraging of their own — just let the animal do its thing and take a nice stroll in the woods with it, basically. At least that's how Alberto's imagining it for now. So he's all but strutting along the navigable (albeit dark) path they've found, making chitchat as the Swinub sniffs about, feeling certain they've got this in the bag. But he really should know better considering he— knows himself... ]

Y'know, I bet this genius pig-thing can find all kinds of stuff...! Don't you think? He's got super-smell or something, right?

[ No one advertised this Swinub in either way, Alberto. But this is the conclusion he's drawn about their new companion at work, apparently. Oh, boy. What a start, indeed. ]

Comments

[callmekacchan]

["want to make some easy money (probably)" is sure one way to ask someone to take on a quest with you. Not the most effective way. But certainly a way. Ominous or not, Katsuki finds himself strolling along with the Swinub and Alberto.

He's certain it won't be as easy as it sounds. But these quests have proven far more rewarding and interesting ways to make some cash then a part-time job could ever be.]

I think it's just looking for food.

[He watches it nose along through the leaves for a moment.]

It's probably a pro at foraging though.

[prontissimo]

Yeah, but it must be a super-smeller if it can look for food with its nose, right? I don't sniff around for my food, do you?

[ Alberto's eyes are fixed on the swinub as they talk, already pretty fond of watching it sniff around. Cuter than he'd thought it'd be. ]

[callmekacchan]

Probably. I guess it could be trained to look for other stuff. Like how they train dogs to look for bombs and drugs. And it's a Pokémon, right? So it's probably smarter than a regular animal.

[He's thinking of Yoosung's Meowth, Rika. She was definitely smarter than Hana, who was just a regular cat... not that Hana was dumb by any means but, certainly Rika was more clever.]

[prontissimo]

[ Katsuki makes a good point, and it raises a question Alberto hasn't bothered to ask anyone yet, but has wondered before. ]

So, what's the difference between a Pokémon animal and other animals? Is it just cuz they all come from that place, or are they just a different kind of animal? You know, like, birds, fish, Pokémon, reptiles, whatever...?

[callmekacchan]

I think it's that they all come from the same place? But they also have... I guess superpowers? Like there's one cat Pokémon that can make gold coins?

[Rika is always giving them to him and he's never been fully sure where she gets them... but they're all the same so he assumes she makes them somehow.]

And who knows what this guy can do, besides sniffing out mushrooms. Supposedly they can all be trained to fight? I dunno. I haven't had too much experience with them yet.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto listens carefully, still not knowing all that much about land animals in general. But as with so many things Katsuki tells him, he’s stunned by this new information. ]

Wait, wait— First of all, why would they fight? Second of all, um, gold coins…? A cat like that could make someone rich! I want a cat that makes me money!

[ Also Alberto just likes cats, but that’s beside the point. He likes money more. ]

[callmekacchan]

Fighting is fun?

[I mean... he thinks so anyway.]

I don't know if they're actually made of gold or something more like pyrite. Fool's gold. Completely worthless. Just shiny.

[He's never asked. It was rude to sell a gift anyway. Even a gift from your boyfriend's bipedal cat monster.]

You even know how to take care of a pet?

[prontissimo]

[ "Fighting is fun." Welp. Can't argue with that. Another bit of subtle influence on Alberto, thanks, Katsuki... He gives a long face and a little shrug to show his vague agreement.

Alberto doesn't know what pyrite is, nor does he really know how getting rich off a lot of gold works, or why it's valuable... He just knows gold coins = lots of money. But with his overconfidence, and his experience in reselling stuff he got for cheap/free, he feels like he could probably schmooze one of the pawn shops in town to buy shiny fake gold from him. They'd surely underpay him if he tried, but he'd never be the wiser; he'd walk out feeling clever and wealthy. He's storing this idea away for later pursuit, wanting to do more research before he asks Katsuki for some of the cat's coins. But the gears are already turning upstairs. Though, far be it for Alberto to ask questions about things he doesn't fully understand; getting the gist is enough for him.

Especially when other elements of his knowledge or capacity are being called into question! He's quick to defend his next-to-zero experience in pet care, ahem. ]

Yes, I know how to take care of a pet! I used to live with a cat back home. My boss had a cat named Machiavelli. Plus I used to live with a bunch of rats, too, when I lived with Bruno in Stardew. I like cats. And rats. I could totally do it. I bet I'd be a great pet-dad!

[ He bets he'd be a great anything, oy... Katsuki surely expected this reaction, or something like it. The rats might be a surprise... ]

[callmekacchan]

[For every good influence he may have on Alberto, he has equal power to be a bad one. Not shocking.]

Yeah? And you'd know how to take care of a special, gold-making, fighting cat too?

[His gaze is ahead as they're lead along by their Pokémon friend. It sure seems to be leading them somewhere dark... Katsuki might end up stopping to make them a torch if it keeps going this way.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto seems unbothered by the dark path the swinub is taking them down. Barely even seems to notice it's getting dark. He's far more enthused about pleading his case, here. Which he does with emphatic gestures, as always. ]

Yeah, you bet I would! I'd feed it lots of fish and hang out with it and do whatever it needs to be happy — and whatever it needs to keep making money. If it needs to fight to be able to make the money, I'll fight it, ha. I've fought a cat before. I lost, but y'know. Whatever. I was fine. It'd be worth it.

[ He shrugs it off with that strong case. He at least has his heart in the right place if he were to adopt a pet — well... Kind of. M-Minus the money-making scheme. And physical violence. Katsuki remembers The Goose Incident, to boot — he knows Alberto's not above such ridiculousness, not in a malicious way, but strangely genuine. Holding animals conceptually on a more equal level to himself than most might, Alberto's definition of a "fight" is very broad, and his track record in getting beaten up by animals seems... not great... Heart in the right place or not, Alberto should not adopt a Meowth. He makes a strong case, indeed — but not entirely in his own favor. ]

[callmekacchan]

You're going to fight a tiny, bi-pedal cat monster?

[Look. Even Katsuki isn't going to fight the tiny, bi-pedal cat monster. And he's quickly gained a reputation for his go to reaction being to fight anything and everything up to and including himself.

...Not to say there aren't Pokémon he would fight if he encountered them. He would fight Machamp or Primeape.]

What, you're gonna beat the money out of it? That's just a mugging.

[prontissimo]

No, I'm not gonna mug it...! It's a cat, c'mon. I said I'd fight it — y'know, if it needs to practice fighting. I'll practice with it.

[ Who knows what Alberto is envisioning here, if he's even gotten that far before letting words spill out of his mouth. Just Alberto sparring with a Meowth, sure, sure... His body language is as lax as usual, following the Swinub deeper into the forest; as he notices some of the dapples of sunlight slowly starting to dwindle, he idly starts taking long strides and little leaps to keep stepping on the patches of light along their path, playfully challenging himself to keep his footsteps out of the shadows. Typical kid stuff. Nevermind that he's fifteen now — typical Alberto stuff. ]

[callmekacchan]

[Katsuki falls quiet, watching him jump from spot to spot. He remembers playing games like that when he was younger. Much younger than Alberto is now.

He lets him have his game until the light gets too low to play. Then he's wiping his hand carefully on his pants to ensure there's no sweat--he learned through experience that he needs to watch that when using his fire--and then conjuring a ball of fire to light their path.]

This little guy sure is taking us on a long walk. Hope he actually knows where he's going.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto gives a dismissive shrug. ]

If he doesn't– oh, well. I've never been here before. It's cool!

[ Alberto's done a ton of exploring around town, but never here. Hard to make this kid worried, even blindly walking around potentially lost in the woods in the dark... ]

[callmekacchan]

If he doesn't, we're probably not getting paid.

[But... ]

It's not bad though. Might be a nice place to hike and camp sometime.

[prontissimo]

[ That retort makes Alberto smirk, often appreciating Katsuki's directness and wryness. He does like hearing him bring up outdoorsiness, too, his face lighting up a little. ]

Yeah, you're right! It would be. It would be a nice place to hike and camp! Maybe we'll do that.

[ Seems like it's right up Alberto's alley...? He's pretty excited by the idea, but — in his excitement and imagination already running – he neglects to clarify the "we" he means is, in fact, himself and Luca. Because so much of what Alberto does, Luca is doing right beside him; he says "we" almost as much as he says "I" nowadays, which is a constantly exciting change in his life, being so inseparable from Luca, never being alone. His mind just goes automatically to lumping Luca in with any fun, new experience he comes across... and, best of all, Luca does the same. ]

[callmekacchan]

[Katsuki does not immediately guess that Alberto means Luca in that 'we'. There's no reason he would.]

I guess technically you've done a lot of camping. Living on an island away from society. All my camping shit's back at my parents' place. But I have my hiking gear. So I don't have to get too much else. Maybe when the weather warms up I'll come out here with you and Dimes if you want.

[Inadvertently inviting himself along while thinking he's inviting Luca along? Wires crossed but either way...]

I'll teach you some human camping traditions.

[S'mores. Ghost stories. He'll probably leave the fishing to them. Although come summer he's hoping to be ready to take Alberto up on his offer of swimming lessons... for now he just prefers not to deal with rivers and lakes, thanks.]