kaisou | ota; beach bonfire

Entry tags:

ota; beach bonfire

WHO: Luca Paguro, Alberto Scorfano, and ???
WHERE: Stardew Beach
WHEN: Evening of Sunday, 20 November
WHAT: Luca's 14th birthday party! Mingle at a bonfire on the beach. They brought... lasagna...
WARNINGS: none! mention of sand fleas?

[ Come Sunday evening, as advertised, Luca's party is all set up on the shores of Stardew Beach. There's a roaring bonfire for folks to gather round, built by Alberto and Luffy under Katsuki’s careful instruction. They've piled some wood into makeshift benches around the fire for people to sit and chat and eat. On a nearby picnic table, the boys have laid out a small spread of food. But being their first "human" birthday party (and Alberto's first real party period), they didn't exactly hit the bullseye with what to serve at a beach bonfire...

They brought pasta. They carefully shlepped a huge pot of trenette al pesto and a large tray of lasagna, plus all their other party supplies, on the bus, on the train, all the way to the beach. Diligence. They don't know about hotdogs. While unorthodox, it's genuinely tasty food, though — and Alberto hasn't accidentally poisoned anyone in at least a month or two...! So also safe to eat, bonus! In addition to the pasta, they have a bowl of leftover Halloween candy, a cooler full of bottled water and an impressive array of energy drinks, and off to the side, a small stack of frying pans, a collection of myriad spices, and a bunch of kitchen knives...? For filleting and frying fish, naturally. Alberto's also brought fishing poles, so now anyone can cook up whatever they catch. Like any normal human child's birthday party.

One normal human thing they managed, though: a birthday cake. That is, if you have a forgiving definition of what a "birthday cake" is... The icing did not fair well being stacked on top of the hot lasagna on the way to the beach. Plus this is Alberto's first attempt at cake decorating or baking anything in general, thankfully once again under Katsuki’s watchful guidance... It— probably tastes fine. Let's assume it does. Just don’t look at it.

They've got two telescopes set up for any fellow star-gazers, one courtesy of Danny, and Luca brought along a couple constellation guidebooks on how to read the stars. For the less bookish types, Alberto's brought along a light-up soccer ball and a light-up Frisbee, accounting for the darkness. They've brought a few cheap swim goggles for anyone trustworthy who'd like to sneak off for a swim with a sea monster. But for those who stay on land, Alberto's also brought three fishing poles, a couple hand nets, along with tackle and bait — but not worms or something normal, of course not. No, he has an old paint can he's filled halfway with live sand fleas... Took a while to catch them all by hand himself, but it's fine; they've found more than enough sand fleas for everyone. Anyone prone to poking their nose into random containers will probably regret this one, sorry. Bleck...

All in all, it promises to be a fun birthday party — but definitely a birthday party like no other... You only turn fourteen in a human city in another country in an alternate dimension in the future once, right? ]

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[ A chill falls over Alberto in one fell swoop. His shoulders tense, straightening his back and standing taller, head held higher, jaw tight. He glances at Luz with a hard look in his eye, deliberative and unnerved and desperate all at once. It takes him too long to find words, though, that no matter what he says next, there's no way it can sound genuine. He can't lie his way out of this; even Alberto's acting has its limits. ]

Me? Bothered? I'm not bothered. It's Luca's birthday. I'm fine. I'm having fun! Fun with all our friends!

[ ...But that doesn't mean he won't try his damnedest, anyway. He doesn't manage a smile, keeping his lips taut and teeth clenched, and his voice has a cold edge to it, none of the charms he might usually put on for a more convincing delivery. He's phoning it in, sure, but he's gonna keep up his "everything's fine" act faithfully. Of course he's gonna do this the hard way; sorry, Luz. ]

[Luz just stared back at him quietly. She knew this look, and boy, he was definitely doing his best to force it through. It was one of those times she thought that Alberto shouldn't be like her here: after all, SHE was the one that allowed herself to get in her own head and make a big problem bigger.

But seeing confident, headstrong Alberto just scraping by? That just seemed wrong].

Yes, we ARE friends. And friends should help each other when something is bothering them. That's why I'm here. I don't mind having fun with Luca and having a party, but I do mind you being bummed and not being able to show it. It's just you and me, buon amico. So let's just talk.

[ Alberto turns to Luz again, looking stricken and conflicted. You can practically see the gears turning upstairs, debating whether or not to say what he's being asked to say, and if he does, how to say it. He's been walking this emotional tightline for the past three days, and Luca's been respectful not to call him out on it, after being there for him the moment Alberto found out. But his phone's been broken for the past three days, too — coincidentally, ahem — so even if he were the type to reach out to friends... he's been extra isolated regardless. It's what's most familiar to him. An unfortunate comfort zone, for someone with so many good friends to lean on now, for the first time in his life. ]

[ But one absence makes all the difference. It's a punch that took the wind out of him, and being called on it takes the wind out of him again. He heaves a deep sigh, then turns away again. He doesn't say anything for a moment, reels his line in, and adds a second sand flea to his lure. As he recasts his line, though, he finally concedes and makes the push to open up and let Luz in. It's a short push — but these two words pack far more power than Luz even knows yet. She can probably hear how much deeper this is than just losing a friend in the hollow tone to his voice, see it in the way a soft scowl rests on his face again as he turns his gaze back on the moonlight tiptoeing across the waves. ]

...Bruno left.

[And there it was. In only a few words, Luz learns all that she needs to know, that explained exactly why Alberto had been trying so hard to put on a happy face. It hurt Luz too, right at the moment, because while she didn't know Bruno as well as others might have, she understood his presence had helped a LOT of people. It had even pulled a girl like her back from fighting and possibly being injured by an evil skeleton army.

More importantly, she understood what it meant to Alberto too, who had always spoke highly of the man. So she did take his hand a moment, looking at him meaningfully].

That's awful. He was a really nice guy. No wonder you're trying to not be sad about it. I'm sorry, Alberto.

[ Alberto meets Luz's eye when she takes his hand, letting his other hand go limp with the fishing rod in it. He lets her hold his hand while she speaks, staring at her, his brow knotting more and more after every other word. "No wonder you're trying not to be sad about it" hits him hard somehow, and it takes a moment to respond. He heaves his chest with a deep, shaky breath, that sharp sort of sigh that happens on the border between "holding it together" and "completely crumbling out of nowhere," zero to one hundred. ]

[ He wills himself to swallow the wave of emotion threatening to break, but he feels the feeling sink into his gut, and it's hard to find words for a moment. He swallows hard, his voice gets caught in his throat at first when he does speak up. ]

...Y-Yeah— Yeah. Well. Guess that’s what this place is like.

[ He shrugs and pulls his lips taut awkwardly, still trying to make light and hide how much this really is eating him inside. It’s the third time his world has been turned upside down like this and he’s not eager to get into his deeper feelings about that just yet. He's thankful to have friends with him this time to support him in his loss, but he's still not used to it. Not to mention, he’s not trying to totally unravel at Luca’s party here, either... It’s a fragile facade, but strong enough. ]

Edited 2022-12-01 22:19 (UTC)

Hey. Listen.

I'm not saying I understand what you're feeling. I think you feel about Bruno how I feel about Eda, no matter which Eda we're talking about. I even get you hiding those feelings since this is Luca's party.

[Luz cast her fishing line and continued on even as she threw one more fish into her storage box].

But take it from someone who knows: you can't ignore that pain. It won't go anywhere. It'll be waiting for you after this party, and it'll be worse because you can't hide from it anymore. Just remember we're still here, your friends, and we'll stay with you when you need to recover. It's ok to feel sad. You'll...you'll always miss him.

[And as she said this, she couldn't help think about the lack of stories about Alberto's actual dad, and why this was probably hurting even more for Alberto].

[ Luz's words cut deeper than she knows, but she at least has guesses at how close to target she's hitting. He's relieved that she's picked up fishing again, and he follows suit, turning his gaze back on the water, sadly scowling slightly as he listens. When she says he'll always miss him, though, the way her voice tugs draws his eyes to her — as if to check if she's okay... But it strikes the nerve she probably meant for it to, and after a silent moment, there's a wash of pain and pity over his face. Turning away again, he manages to put it to words, though telling on himself more than he realizes, as always. ]

I'm not ignoring it — I'm shutting it up. I'll be fine. This kind of thing happens; things change, people leave — così è la vita. But I'll be fine. I mean, I am fine. I'm just tired of missing people, that's all.

[ He recasts his line as he speaks, bitterness in his voice, still not having caught a single fish to Luz's three. Luck's not on his side tonight, he figures. ]

[Luz has just had more time fishing, maybe. She even knew how to do it in waters that weren't quite so deep like here. But as much as she tried to fully concentrate on only that, she had to think about people here who were gone, that she missed.

And there were plenty that had happened before coming here she'd miss pretty badly too. Maybe that was what made her such an expert on it.

Who even wanted to be an expert in losing people]?

If you want to do it for the party, just to make Luca happy? I get it. But do yourself a favor and tell him later. Believe me: he'll want to know.

And I'm with you. I get tired of losing people myself. It kinda stinks that I dealt with that a lot.

Part of getting better after though? Is admitting that you're not fine, that it's an awful feeling.

Because the person you're missing? Wouldn't want you acting like it's fine when you know it's not.

[ Alberto listens to Luz with a hard look fixed on the water. Her final point strikes a nerve, and he inhales sharply, swallowing the lump threatening to form in his throat. Luz is up against a tough cookie, unfortunately, and it's hard to convince him to agree to his own vulnerability, as old habits are hard to break when push comes to shove. It's been a while since Alberto's had reason to lean on old coping mechanisms, but he goes back to the familiar: pretending everything's fine or else steeling himself to weather the storm alone. But Luz is exactly on the mark on her final note; Alberto knows that, of all people, Bruno would discourage him from pretending everything's fine and weathering the storm alone... Realizing that brings a tight feeling to his chest, clenching his jaw as he wills himself to keep composure. He sniffles, as if clearing his head of these emotions, and keeps his eyes on the water; he doesn't manage a real response, but does clarify something important, at least, his voice thick and tempered. ]

...Don't worry, Luca already knows. We found out on Thursday. Luisa told me. He's been gone five days.

[ Being that today is only Sunday, it's not too much time to count; but even if he doesn't intend to keep it up this time, it's still his first inclination to keep track of time like that... a coping mechanism that hurts more than pretending everything's fine. He didn't want to ever count even five days again. It makes him bitter to hear himself say it aloud. So he shoehorns in a lighter note, following it with an abruptly mundane change in topic. ]

The rats are probably still here, though. I need to ask. My phone's broken. Oh, by the way— My phone's broken. So if you need to reach me, go through Luca, okay? I'll let you know when I get a new one.

[ At least he's shaken off those pesky feelings tugging his voice... Kid's got bigger problems showing vulnerability than Luz probably realized — though it's no surprise, either... ]

Then I should go and see how she's doing too. She just lost Mirabel recently, so to lose Bruno too must hurt all over again. It'll probably hurt a lot of people who knew him. Anyone who knew him is going to miss him. I loved his little serials with the rats.

Oh man, really? We have to find them homes, unless they just decide to scurry away until he comes back or something.

[And she knows that Alberto is hurting too, so she wants to try and help him without making him feel like he has to perform, like he doesn't get to feel sad that Bruno isn't here anymore].

Well, at least I know how to take care of the phone thing: give it to Varian and ask him to fix it for you. In the meantime...

Wanna give the fishing a break, and go for a swim?

[ Alberto keeps his jaw clenched as he listens to Luz talk about all the people who are going to miss Bruno, and about Luisa having to feel loss all over again. It hurts to hear it, for someone who's only ever missed people alone, and someone who's already known this loss more times than he should've; it just means more people know the same loss, more people left missing Bruno the same as he is. But it's not the same. He may not be part of Bruno's family like his nieces, can't compare himself to them or truly fathom their pain in losing their uncle, but on the other hand, Bruno wasn't anyone else's father figure... So Alberto still feels alone in missing him in that sense. He can't express accurately to anyone how much his relationship with Bruno meant to him — and how much losing Bruno means to him — without spilling his guts about losing his father, being alone for so long, missing Massimo... and with how shut off he is from opening up that much, even with Luz, it's embittering to feel no one will know just how much he's going to miss Bruno. It's more than anyone thinks, he's certain of that much.

There's a slight edge to his voice when he responds about the rats, quick to establish his hopefulness almost out of spite. ]

No. The rats need to stay at La Casa Madrigal. So if Bruno comes back, they'll know where to find each other.

[ If Alberto did spill his guts to his friends like he should, this take would probably worry Luz far more; but for now, only Luca has full context, and if he'd heard Alberto say this now... he'd definitely be worried. It just so happens Alberto catches a fish at this moment, his first since before Luz walked up, so it's the perfect distraction away from what was indeed a much heavier sentiment than advertised. His face lights up, though still smileless, as he reels in his catch. He goes about unhooking it and tossing it in his nearby bucket with a couple other fish he'd caught, listening to Luz's advice about fixing his phone as he does. He makes no response, though; surprisingly enough, for as much as he seems to love his cell phone, he's not particularly eager to replace it... He may call it the "Everything Machine," but being that he texted and called Bruno every day consistently for half a year, it also largely became the "Talk-To-Bruno Machine." He's secretly in no hurry to fix it or get a new one, so he just... lets that piece of sound advice slide.

He turns to her, surprised at the suggestion, but pleased. That's more his style — if a friend is upset, distract them with a new fun activity. He manages a lopsided smile, comforted by the change, placing his hand on his hip and standing contrapposto as usual, looking much more himself. He tosses aside the fishing rod with a shrug and a smirk, leaving it in the sand as he starts walking toward the tides, waving Luz along behind him. ]

Sure. Andiamo. ...I'd say we could race, but, y'know— I wouldn't wanna embarrass you~

[ Back to the jokes, like everything's normal. ]

[Luz knew that Alberto had strong feelings when it came to Bruno, more than he was saying, but for a lot of this, he didn't need to. If it had been enough to see that Alberto was having a hard time focusing on making the party perfect for Luca, that told her everything. Now that she thought about it, Alberto had Massimo before this, and then his own father. But none of them were around now.

He had to be feeling that. Luz felt it every day].

Oh. Right. Yes, that makes sense.

[Luz tried to sound sure about that but wasn't. It was possible Bruno might come back, but she didn't want Alberto to hope and have that dashed. She was worried, because she knew pretty well by now she might say the same thing.

So where was that distraction again?

Ah, yes. And seeing Alberto in his cocky strut at least abated her concerns a little].

Hey, you never know! The freezing waters are bound to put in an even bigger incentive to win!

[As in "oh-my-gosh-I-am-frigid-I-need-warmth-let-this-be-OVER" incentive, but that counted too]!

[ Luz's determination raises Alberto's brow again, smirk growing wider on his face. He walks backwards toward the water so he can face Luz while speaking, splaying his arms out and gesturing as usual. ]

True! Besides, I'm much faster when it's warm — so I guess you have a slightly better chance of winning, ha...!

[ Alberto feels so relieved to smoothly (or so he feels) transition away from Bruno talk with this — the perfect activity to clear his head. He's grateful to have a friend like Luz who thinks so similarly to him in ways like this, different as they are, who gets it, and is happy to help distract him; distraction is his favorite coping mechanism. It works. ~~Kind of. Not really.~~ ]

[Luz was very much trying to bolster herself into launching herself into the cold water. Luz may have loved water, but cold waters was definitely going to be a wakeup call]!

I guess we'll just have to have a race and find out who'd the stronger swimmer.

[Luz was also very good at understanding when she has to use distraction. Alberto would have time later to be sad, and she'd be sad with him. But she knew well enough that he wanted to make this day special for Luca, and Luz would do her best to honor THAT too].

[ Alberto, too, braces himself for the cold water. But fortunately for him, his body temperature regulates itself to his surroundings — plus side of being a fish... The cold does, however, decrease how fast he can swim; but since he's been out of the water this whole time and bundled up on land, he's probably not so impaired. That also means that first crash of cold water is just gonna feel even worse, though, and he knows it. He's taking off his jacket and boots at the water's edge, tossing them aside on shore carelessly. But Luz's remark surprises him enough to still his hand, and he looks up at her mid-boot removal with a raised brow and a wide smirk. ]

...You're even more confident than I am, hah. I like it.

[ Is that a read, and if so, to which one of them? But also a genuine compliment, teasing as he is. Humbling himself even more, he wobbles and loses his balance slightly, foot in his hand, and stumbles sideways; but he recovers smoothly like it never happened, kicking his boot aside as he stands contrapposto with his hand on his hip, his instant confidence pose. ]

It's a shame you'll lose anyway, but, y'know. Confidence still counts.

[ Barefoot in the sand now, the water laps at his feet, which turn to flippers in the blink of an eye. He does his best to disguise how bitter cold that was, too, but you can practically see the shock climb all the way up his body. But he keeps his smug smirk on, like none of that was awkward at all, his own confidence unbattered. ]

Edited 2022-12-26 22:57 (UTC)

[Luz was going to freeze. She knew this much, understood and accepted that what she was doing was certainly crazy and going to be very uncomfortable. But seeing that Alberto was excited and confident though it was hard, she wanted to show solidarity.

He was her friend. Like any friend Luz had, she wanted to make them happy and help them become stronger, but she knew that this road sometimes took strange turns. This happened to be one of those turns, and despite everything, Alberto being unflappable and funny self.

And it gave Luz that push she needed].

Hey, don't count me out yet. Wouldn't want to look silly if I won, you know.

[She wasn't going to, she was sure, but still. The confidence was what mattered! She got down to her bathing suit, very glad that Amity wasn't looking in their direction right now].

You ready?!

[ Casually risking her life and health by diving into winter waters just to cheer up a friend in mourning — checks out for Luz 1,000% really... Unfortunately, without much knowledge still of the fine details of human anatomy, it doesn't occur to Alberto how different Luz's body might be from his, so it's lost on Alberto that this might not be totally safe for her... not that that would've made him stop her or anything, of course.

He's scanning the horizon in search of some sort of goalpost nearby, so misses her quickly undressing. When he turns back and sees she's changed, he's amused at her obviously anticipating she might swim anyway by having worn her swimsuit under her clothes — it makes him think of Giulia doing the same back in Portorosso when they were training for the race. Humans and their swimsuits... So silly to him still. Her insistent confidence and optimism keeps his grin on, and just fuels his own in turn. ]

Always ready. Okay, look— See that outcrop over there?

[ He leans in and claps his hand to Luz's shoulder as he points toward a strip of rocks extending from further down the shore, not terribly far off — not in his eyes, at least. ]

Let's swim there.

[ However, glancing at Luz, her adamant sportsmanship and confidence does start to needle Alberto a little, entertaining the idea that she really could win... That'd be embarrassing. So he elaborates on the rules spontaneously, shifting to prop his elbow up on Luz's shoulder. ]

Whoever reaches the rock first, wins the first round. Then whoever reaches shore again, wins the second. You've gotta win both to win the whole race.

[ This way ensuring a chance that Alberto could at least tie with her if her boasts really aren't empty. He's never swam with Luz, what does he know! What if she has crazy water magic and secretly swims just as good as a sea monster?! He's protecting his ego always, man. ]

[Well, this was definitely going to be a lot of bluster on her part. Luz was an excellent swimmer, sure, but this cold was definitely going to take a toll. Luz was going to have to summon all her strength to not scream the moment her body entered the cold.

She was just going to have to channel ALL of what she learned to take in the Boiling isles here. Besides, looking over at how Alberto was recapturing some of his bluster was comforting. If he concentrated on this instead of Bruno, maybe it would make him leaving go a little bit easier].

I see it! Right! I got it!

[Whoa. All the way there. Yup. Ok. Fine. Not at all impossible or imposing looking. Sure].

You got it! One swim there, one swim back!

[No water magic. No strength magic, and Luz would be freezing her butt off the moment she hit the water. She took a deep breath, and put on her most confident smile].

Ok! You ready?!

[ Alberto shoots her a challenging grin, giving one sharp, decisive nod. ]

Pronti, attenti, via!

[ And with that countdown, he sprints forward into the tides, diving in as soon as it's deep enough. His spiked tail whips out of the water as he descends and shoots off. After a moment, though, the cold thoroughly shocking him too, he lets up some speed to let his body temperature adjust itself (fish powers, oy). He glances over to check on Luz to see whether he's gained on her much already, and can tell just at first glance how cold this must be for her. Whoops... Well, it was her idea, so. He shrugs it off and pushes forward anyway. Nice friend. ]

Uno, dos, TRES!
[Luz jumps in with a swan dive and...oh. Oh no. She regretted ALL OF THIS.

But she was not about to let Alberto know this. She was trying to get him to feel better, and that included distracting herself from how horribly icy and unyielding this water was. Luz was trying to swim as fast she could, though the look on her face clearly told the story of how much punishment she was taking right now].

[ It doesn't take Alberto long to reach the goal point, but he lingers there a while until Luz catches up, as it suddenly occurs to him... huh... maybe humans' body temperatures don't regulate themselves like sea folks' do. So if he's cold... Luz might be even colder. Probably makes her slower, too. Hm. When she reaches the goal, he decides to change his strategy here. He shoots her a mischievous but warm grin as she swims up, but instead of shooting off like he very well could, to win the race... instead, he handicaps himself. By swimming like her. He's never tried to swim like a human before, so his form is rather awkward — though that's somewhat intentional. He can't help but use his tail a little but he's trying not to rely on it, as he takes to the water with human-like strokes, mimicking her style. Luz is admittedly a better swimmer than Giulia, whose breast strokes left a lot of speed to be desired, but to Alberto, it still just looks silly... He feels like he's flailing in the water, and with the advantage of a tail to propel him forward, he still manages to be faster than Luz; but that might be a good thing, really, because it places him in front of her for a better view of his shenanigans, which of course he hams up a little bit for added effect. This is fairer. And funnier. And funner. ]

[Oh, Luz is definitely not in a happy place, but is at least reassured by Alberto's light teasing and showing off. Luz had no delusions: Alberto was built to swim better than she could, she had not expected to win this. The suggestion had been to lighten the mood, and it looked like it worked! Sure, Luz felt frigid now, but she was not going to pretend this was unexpected. Alberto was at least trying to pretend to swim in stride with her.

"N-no fair having a t-tail!" Luz stammered, as if that were the only advantage. She still managed to keep her smile up though. She had to admit, even while she was freezing, she did like seeing Alberto's true form. He somehow managed to look even more self assured and confident right now].

[ Alberto shoots her an awkward grin, self-effacing and flippant, as he keeps clumsily breast-stroking beside her. ]

I-I'm not even using my t-tail...!

[ Is he mocking her stuttering, or is he stuttering from the cold, himself? Who can say.

But he is absolutely using his tail. It literally just splashed her. ]

ota; beach bonfire

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This is Luz figuring the best way to try and fix things. Of course! She'll swim in freezing waters!

lmao Luz no

She is doing her best, really. If she has to freeze to distract her closest friend, so be it!

she is a good friend... a risky, good friend.

The icon is Luz's feeling once she hits the water.

lmao definitely writing in that the boys brought some extra clothes for after swimming, for her sake

Good idea! Luz is just going to have to find a LOT of towels later!

lol they definitely brought those!! We'll make sure she doesn't catch her death of cold after hahah

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wanna start wrapping this one up too?

yup! This was a LONG one!