[ Alberto's eyes light up at the showiness. Cool. ]
Heh...! I already have— this cool guy, plus this sky monster lady...
[ He's satisfied with his parsley, and steps away to grab a big pot, moving a stack of other smaller pots and pans from the stool it sits on, quite noisily and clumsily. He hands it over to Chara and points to a sea salt grinder on the counter with his other hand. ]
Here. Fill this with water and put salt in it, like, forever.
[ Then picks up the fillet knife Chara had abandoned and starts de-skinning the fillets they'd both made as he continues conversation. ]
D'you know Signora Della? She's this seagull-dack-lady I know. She wants to teach me how to fight. She and I fought a bunch of magic pumpkins together a while back and it was pretty cool. She's the one who told me I should get some swords, after she saw me fight off the scary pumpkins with my knife. But I dunno— a couple weeks ago, she told me she hates sea monsters... Said all sea creatures are disgusting and gross. So— even though she's really cool and I like her a lot— heh, I gotta be extra careful around her now, y'know?
[They have spoken to the duck woman before, and sometimes have gone over her posts even if they didn't reply to them, so they sort of know her. As they say this they're going to get the salt grinder and start filling the pot with water and salt.]
I kind of doubt she'd do anything to you if she learned the truth about you. She seems kinda... You know, wants to be a mother too much? Like she'd try too hard, even if she finds your real self gross. And anyway if she did try something? Just let me know, then she won't try anything again.
[ He barks a laugh, pausing in his skinning with his knife in midair. He's not sure why that comment rubs him the right way, because he does like Della, but it does. ]
I don't think Signora Della would try to hurt me or anything... She said she's met sea monsters, though, and everyone in her family likes the sea except her, I guess? We were looking at these beautiful magic paintings of the sea together when she told me. I guess she hates it. But... I dunno. You never know, y'know what I mean? Back home, land monsters hunted sea monsters, and— I just... wanna keep a low profile.
[ He sets aside the four skinned fillets on their own, sticking the dirty dishes in the sink, cleaning as he goes, surprisingly efficient in the kitchen. He leans over Chara and flips two burners on on the stove, one for the pot Chara prepared and another for a pan he goes to grab now. He grabs the bottle of olive oil again, eyeballing it as he pours some oil in the skillet with his thumb over the bottle's mouth casually once more, before taking the salt Chara'd used to season the fish gently on their plate. ]
Besides—
[ He slaps Chara's two sloppy fillets in first with an abruptly loud sizzle. ]
Signora Della's been fighting since she was our age. If she did decide to hurt me, ya think you could take her? Hah.
[Chara listens to Alberto's words, and is focused on the water going into the pot. Only stopping it when they feel it's full enough, since they're sure Alberto doesn't need to the pot filled to the brim. That and it's not like a glass of water after all, it doesn't need to be that full.
As to the question posed to them? They laugh.]
I've killed capable adults before, what's one more?
[ He turns on them with wide eyes, but noticeably less impressed than before. He reaches for a handful of capellini pasta from a canister and plops it in the pot once Chara has finished salting the water, leaving it uncovered. He grabs two pieces of the bread he'd sliced earlier, dipping both in the seasoned olive oil, and hands one slice to Chara as he leans his back casually against the counter, noshing on his, waiting for both the pasta and the fish to cook now that things are fully under way. ]
Eh, don't you try anything with Signora Della, now, ya hear me?
[ He should... probably be more concerned. Not that he's not but... Chara's a kid. They're younger than he is! How bad could it be?! Bad. Bad, Alberto, bad... ]
[They weren't bad people, but monsters doing what they thought they needed to to stay alive. A human on a rampage was like a hot knife through butter, making Monsters easy to kill without thinking about it too much.
ANYWAY, Chara takes the offered bread and sniffs it first. They've never had oil on bread before so they're cautious about eating it, as they take a bite and shake their head at Alberto's concern.]
I won't do anything without a reason, so as long as she doesn't hurt anyone I care about... We're good.
[ Alberto shrugs at that explanation, eating his bread with little decorum. ]
Eh. That's fair, I guess.
[ His time in this place has slightly led askew his already rather misguided moral compass.
What's more, though, is the warm smile that spreads on his face when Chara indirectly admits that they care about Alberto. They've done the Friendship Thing, officially, in his eyes. As if they already hadn't.
And as if it's at all related, because somehow in his mind it is, y'know re: killing things, as lighthearted and casual as this whole conversation has been, he poses another question. ]
[Only with Chara could you eat bread and discuss murder so casually. They chew on more of their bread, being more careful with it than Alberto is. As to the question, which there have been a lot of them this conversation, they answer it plainly.]
Nope, it wasn't really something we did back in the Underground.
[Unless hunting for trash in Waterfall counted, which Chara is sure does not count at all.]
[ That draws a sly smirk over his face. He goes ahead and seasons the tops of the fillets with salt and pepper and parsley again before flipping them over, satisfied with the cook on the other sides. Then slides the plate of two other fillets toward Chara, handing them the salt and pepper grinders in each hand. ]
Here. Put this stuff on those. Like that much.
[ He points at the ones in the pan. He's determined to make Chara help with this meal as much as possible the more he learns about them. Shows full confidence in their ability and the simplicity of the recipe. If he can do it, Chara can definitely do it, Chara seems smarter than him, and braver than him — ergo, equally competent cooking potential??? Eh!
He steps off to clear off his desk a few paces away, for lack of a dining table, just kinda shoving things aside or plopping them onto the floor. He's still in eyesight and earshot as he talks on, though. ]
You're in for a treat, Chara, heh~ Maybe I'll take you fishing sometime! Massimo taught me everything I know! You'd like him, he's like the coolest human ever – and the hugest human ever! You just look at this guy and you can tell he kills things! He's the best fisherman in the whole world – hah, and then me next, of course.
[Chara almost wonders what they're supposed to do with the grinders in both hands, before placing one down so they can use both hands to do the pepper and then switch to the salt one, to do as they're told.
They don't seem to... Impressed with what Alberto has to say about going fishing or his adopted human dad though.]
Of course, although if we go fishing we should bring Asriel along too. He'd probably enjoy it.
[ There's laughter lacing through his words at that. Of course Asriel is coming. ]
I taught Asriel how to swim, he tell you that? He's, uh— not great at it, hah, but... y'know... He did it. Kinda.
[ He gives a little huff of a laugh as he returns, and sets about slicing a lemon from his fruit bowl, very thin but a little sloppy. He points to the cabinet and the drawer, keeping Chara as much a part of this process as he can. Many hands make work easier, or something. ]
Grab two plates, would ya? And two knives and forchette. Oh, and two cups. There's a pitcher of water in the fridge. Set the table while I finish up.
[ He gestures with his head back toward the desk he cleared off, and adds the lemon slices to the tops of the fish in the pan, stirring the pasta with a pasta spoon in his other hand, surprisingly ambidextrous. He leaves the raw fish Chara had filleted and seasoned aside for now. The animals can eat later. Cooking made him hungry. ]
[Chara wouldn't do something new without their sibling, and fishing is something they would pay to see Asriel do.]
Huh, well I'm not surprised he's not great at it. He's never swam before, not a lot of deep swimable water Underground.
[Sure there was Waterfall, but. Chara's pretty sure only fish monsters even considered swimming in the water there. ANYWAY. They're doing as they were told to do, getting out plates and knives and uh... They assume "forchette" is a fork so they get those too, and they set up the table. Not in any fancy way with utensils in proper places or anything like that, but it's done and quickly.]
So... Fish and pasta, that's a unique combination.
[Or at least one that Chara has never considered.]
So does that mean you guys have never seen the ocean? Can you swim...?
[ Alberto can't imagine... He flips the fish over again just for a second, then goes about zesting the sides of the lemon he'd sliced with a small knife. He's used... so many different knives, just in this one meal... He loves it. Just for fun?
He doesn't remark really on the fish and pasta combo comment, but shoots Chara a wide, bright grin, smug for no reason. Pasta goes great with, like, everything, in Alberto's book. Definitely not unheard of to serve with fish back in Portorosso. What's weirder is dipping the bread in oil. He, uh, thought of that himself here... experimenting. ]
Oh! Grab the bread and oil, too, actually. Almost done~
[ He slips the two fillets onto a plate to serve, flipping again so the lemon slices are on top (though not all that pretty-like like a more experienced presentation), but he's satisfied with their work. He pours a bit of oil in the pan again, adding the bits of uneven lemon zest and what remains of the parsley, more salt and pepper. He drains the pasta in the old copper colander he'd found, slaps it a bowl, and very quickly pours the oil over it, tossing it around with the pasta spoon — takes about a minute, maybe two, fast and fluid with it, even if it's not quite the best technique with the oil... He's still figuring stuff out. He's more or less got the hang of it. Everything usually turns out pretty good by this point, and it's been about three weeks since he's exploded anything in his kitchen, a couple months since any fires, sooo... Doing all right. He has like... four or five solid recipes under his belt by now, building intuition and relying on his own natural gusto and curiosity, as always.
But he's feeling pretty confident with this as he walks over to the desk with the bowl of pasta in one hand and the plate of fish in the other. It's his own decision on the pairing, maybe not quite a traditional meal, but a simple one — and a cheap one. The most expensive thing was the olive oil, really. The fish was free. From the lake. Caught by himself. Swimming around late at night in secret with a net, for lack of a boat. But it gets the job done. He slaps the food down a bit gracelessly with a loud clink. ]
Finito! Mangiamo!
[ He gestures for Chara to take the chair with the pillows tied to it with some old rope — the comfy chair, for the guest... Then rushes back into the kitchenette to very noisily drop his stack of pots on the floor off the stool he uses as storage, very jarring chaotic sounds suddenly, and clumsily shleps the stool over to the desk with some speed and a self-satisfied smirk.
And after taking his seat, he hastily slaps some pasta on each of their plates, laying each fillet of fish on top. He's silent as he serves it, an especially dramatic opera aria still playing from his phone on shuffle in the background — the same song he'd made the chickens sing, by chance, and one he has fond pasta memories attached to from his dinners in Massimo's kitchen. But though wordless as Massimo might be, once the food is plated, quite unlike the fisherman who taught him half of all this, Alberto's brimming with unspoken energy as he picks up his fork and knife, and just... grins at Chara, watching, waiting, stupid excited, confident, expectant. Inwardly he doesn't know what reaction to expect from Chara... Chara has so far seemed to defy all expectations usually. ]
There isn't an ocean Underground, and there wasn't one near my hometown. Unless pictures in books or on TV count, then no I haven't and it's pretty easy to assume neither has Asriel. And I can swim well enough.
[Like well enough that they won't drown, which is fine enough for them. And they go to get the bread first and then the oil, from where Alberto had placed them and brought them over to the table. Placing them down they're going to watch as Alberto goes about finishing the fish and pasta, before they take the seat Alberto has indicated he wants them to sit in.]
So uh... Bone apple teet?
[Of course Chara's saying it wrong on purpose, not that Alberto will know that. They're going to take up a fork in one hand and knife in the other, as they then cut off a piece of the fish to eat first. Their expression is hard to read as they eat under Alberto's watch, not saying anything and just going to eat the fish first.]
[ Alberto is equally delighted and disappointed to hear that neither of his friends have ever seen the ocean, eager to tell them both all about it. He also files away "bone apple teet" in his mind as a great new human-ism to say, one he'll surely adopt unwittingly; he loves how Asriel says "howdy" and "golly," too, and has even picked those up sporadically... But all that can wait. What's more important right now is the fish. He leans forward with his elbows on the table, biting at the bit for Chara's verdict before he even makes any move to take a bite of his own. He's made this before, he doesn't care about his own food as much anymore. But the anticipation for Chara's sake is killing him. ]
[Chara responds, after swallowing their food. The fact that they were eating it at all should be sign enough that Chara finds it good, as they go in for more of the fish. In fact, the attention they are getting from Alberto is making them a bit self-conscious about the whole deal, so after this bite, they're going to stop and just stare right back at the other kid.]
[ Once Chara takes a second bite (even if the third is postponed because Alberto's being creepy), Alberto smiles and leans back, picking up his own fork and knife finally, and starts to slice his own up. This kid needs all the validation, Chara, sorry. Especially about cooking — especially about fish... Beats the screaming chickens, though? ]
[And honestly that's all they're going to say on the subject, going back to eating the fish and maybe having some pasta in between bites of fish. And yeah it kind of beats the chickens, but not by much. Being stared at while eating is just weird.]
[ It's enough. Alberto's smile softens into a warm, proud smirk, that familiar half-lidded look of ease he wears so often, as he starts to dig in on his own finally. He's got high standards for fish, and knowing that Chara has never even been to the ocean, he's certain they can't have had very good fish in the Underground. So this has all been very important and enlightening to him. He's just as resolved to cook fish for Asriel someday, too, now, for these same reasons.
As he takes his own first couple bites, though, he lets out an enthusiastic hum of satisfaction. He's so proud of how much he's learned to cook since coming here, even if it's only like... three or four meals. He's at least got them down pat. He's certain Massimo would be proud, and that makes him proud. That Chara likes it just makes him prouder, even if they're not as enthused as Alberto is... But they're not as enthused as Alberto is about anything, so he doesn't expect it. No one is as enthused as Alberto is, in general, really. ]
Mmm~! Benissimo! We did good! Huge help~ Heh, and your first time cooking fish, too— Brava, Chara!
[ He's an enthusiastic eater, too, now that he's decided this was up to par, and has mastered using a fork, twisting his noodles around it, well-practiced. He's, uh, even proud of that, too... I-It took him a while to get the hang of forks... At least he's not eating it with his hands — which he still has no problem with, and even does occasionally to this day. This dinner could be a lot weirder. ]
[Being gawked at is way weirder than someone eating with their hands, in Chara's book at least. As they go back to eating in silence, since they don't have much to say about Alberto's praise.
That and they're being polite and not talking while they have food in their mouth.]
[ Alberto is... not as polite. He's not gross about it, but definitely doesn't mind talking and eating at once, at least pausing between bites as he shovels pasta in his mouth with gusto. ]
Hmm~ So! When we go fishing with Asriel— we'll need a boat. Think we could find one...? Maybe at the bottom of the lake?
[ Th-That's his solution...? Oh, boy. Yeah, cuz a boat that sank is a boat they'd want, clearly. ]
[ Alberto completely interprets that face as just being about the boat. Sorry, Chara. ]
No way— none of the fish we'd want are gonna be by the shore...! No, no, we've gotta get a boat.
[ He takes another bite, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully, ruminatively, before a great idea strikes him, and he waves his fork idly in one hand as he explains, energized by his apparent "epiphany." ]
Ooh~! We could make our own boat! I helped Massimo fix his once— after I, uh, set it on fire... But! But! I think I've got the basic idea of how to do it now, plus I've built bunk beds and at least like four or five Vespas— I can build all kinds of stuff...! How hard can a boat be? The three of us could do it together!
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corruptedsave) wrote2021-03-02 10:49 pm
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Heh...! I already have— this cool guy, plus this sky monster lady...
[ He's satisfied with his parsley, and steps away to grab a big pot, moving a stack of other smaller pots and pans from the stool it sits on, quite noisily and clumsily. He hands it over to Chara and points to a sea salt grinder on the counter with his other hand. ]
Here. Fill this with water and put salt in it, like, forever.
[ Then picks up the fillet knife Chara had abandoned and starts de-skinning the fillets they'd both made as he continues conversation. ]
D'you know Signora Della? She's this seagull-dack-lady I know. She wants to teach me how to fight. She and I fought a bunch of magic pumpkins together a while back and it was pretty cool. She's the one who told me I should get some swords, after she saw me fight off the scary pumpkins with my knife. But I dunno— a couple weeks ago, she told me she hates sea monsters... Said all sea creatures are disgusting and gross. So— even though she's really cool and I like her a lot— heh, I gotta be extra careful around her now, y'know?
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[They have spoken to the duck woman before, and sometimes have gone over her posts even if they didn't reply to them, so they sort of know her. As they say this they're going to get the salt grinder and start filling the pot with water and salt.]
I kind of doubt she'd do anything to you if she learned the truth about you. She seems kinda... You know, wants to be a mother too much? Like she'd try too hard, even if she finds your real self gross. And anyway if she did try something? Just let me know, then she won't try anything again.
[Why yes, Chara did just make a threat.]
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[ He barks a laugh, pausing in his skinning with his knife in midair. He's not sure why that comment rubs him the right way, because he does like Della, but it does. ]
I don't think Signora Della would try to hurt me or anything... She said she's met sea monsters, though, and everyone in her family likes the sea except her, I guess? We were looking at these beautiful magic paintings of the sea together when she told me. I guess she hates it. But... I dunno. You never know, y'know what I mean? Back home, land monsters hunted sea monsters, and— I just... wanna keep a low profile.
[ He sets aside the four skinned fillets on their own, sticking the dirty dishes in the sink, cleaning as he goes, surprisingly efficient in the kitchen. He leans over Chara and flips two burners on on the stove, one for the pot Chara prepared and another for a pan he goes to grab now. He grabs the bottle of olive oil again, eyeballing it as he pours some oil in the skillet with his thumb over the bottle's mouth casually once more, before taking the salt Chara'd used to season the fish gently on their plate. ]
Besides—
[ He slaps Chara's two sloppy fillets in first with an abruptly loud sizzle. ]
Signora Della's been fighting since she was our age. If she did decide to hurt me, ya think you could take her? Hah.
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As to the question posed to them? They laugh.]
I've killed capable adults before, what's one more?
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[ He turns on them with wide eyes, but noticeably less impressed than before. He reaches for a handful of capellini pasta from a canister and plops it in the pot once Chara has finished salting the water, leaving it uncovered. He grabs two pieces of the bread he'd sliced earlier, dipping both in the seasoned olive oil, and hands one slice to Chara as he leans his back casually against the counter, noshing on his, waiting for both the pasta and the fish to cook now that things are fully under way. ]
Eh, don't you try anything with Signora Della, now, ya hear me?
[ He should... probably be more concerned. Not that he's not but... Chara's a kid. They're younger than he is! How bad could it be?!
Bad. Bad, Alberto, bad...]no subject
[They weren't bad people, but monsters doing what they thought they needed to to stay alive. A human on a rampage was like a hot knife through butter, making Monsters easy to kill without thinking about it too much.
ANYWAY, Chara takes the offered bread and sniffs it first. They've never had oil on bread before so they're cautious about eating it, as they take a bite and shake their head at Alberto's concern.]
I won't do anything without a reason, so as long as she doesn't hurt anyone I care about... We're good.
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Eh. That's fair, I guess.
[ His time in this place has slightly led askew his already rather misguided moral compass.
What's more, though, is the warm smile that spreads on his face when Chara indirectly admits that they care about Alberto. They've done the Friendship Thing, officially, in his eyes. As if they already hadn't.
And as if it's at all related, because somehow in his mind it is, y'know re: killing things, as lighthearted and casual as this whole conversation has been, he poses another question. ]
Ehi, cara, have you ever gone fishing?
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Nope, it wasn't really something we did back in the Underground.
[Unless hunting for trash in Waterfall counted, which Chara is sure does not count at all.]
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[ He looks a lot more shocked by this than at, y'know, Chara casually admitting to having murdered someone. Oh, boy. ]
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Just not a lot of it.
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Here. Put this stuff on those. Like that much.
[ He points at the ones in the pan. He's determined to make Chara help with this meal as much as possible the more he learns about them. Shows full confidence in their ability and the simplicity of the recipe. If he can do it, Chara can definitely do it, Chara seems smarter than him, and braver than him — ergo, equally competent cooking potential??? Eh!
He steps off to clear off his desk a few paces away, for lack of a dining table, just kinda shoving things aside or plopping them onto the floor. He's still in eyesight and earshot as he talks on, though. ]
You're in for a treat, Chara, heh~ Maybe I'll take you fishing sometime! Massimo taught me everything I know! You'd like him, he's like the coolest human ever – and the hugest human ever! You just look at this guy and you can tell he kills things! He's the best fisherman in the whole world – hah, and then me next, of course.
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They don't seem to... Impressed with what Alberto has to say about going fishing or his adopted human dad though.]
Of course, although if we go fishing we should bring Asriel along too. He'd probably enjoy it.
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[ There's laughter lacing through his words at that. Of course Asriel is coming. ]
I taught Asriel how to swim, he tell you that? He's, uh— not great at it, hah, but... y'know... He did it. Kinda.
[ He gives a little huff of a laugh as he returns, and sets about slicing a lemon from his fruit bowl, very thin but a little sloppy. He points to the cabinet and the drawer, keeping Chara as much a part of this process as he can. Many hands make work easier, or something. ]
Grab two plates, would ya? And two knives and forchette. Oh, and two cups. There's a pitcher of water in the fridge. Set the table while I finish up.
[ He gestures with his head back toward the desk he cleared off, and adds the lemon slices to the tops of the fish in the pan, stirring the pasta with a pasta spoon in his other hand, surprisingly ambidextrous. He leaves the raw fish Chara had filleted and seasoned aside for now. The animals can eat later. Cooking made him hungry. ]
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Huh, well I'm not surprised he's not great at it. He's never swam before, not a lot of deep swimable water Underground.
[Sure there was Waterfall, but. Chara's pretty sure only fish monsters even considered swimming in the water there. ANYWAY. They're doing as they were told to do, getting out plates and knives and uh... They assume "forchette" is a fork so they get those too, and they set up the table. Not in any fancy way with utensils in proper places or anything like that, but it's done and quickly.]
So... Fish and pasta, that's a unique combination.
[Or at least one that Chara has never considered.]
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[ Alberto can't imagine... He flips the fish over again just for a second, then goes about zesting the sides of the lemon he'd sliced with a small knife. He's used... so many different knives, just in this one meal... He loves it. Just for fun?
He doesn't remark really on the fish and pasta combo comment, but shoots Chara a wide, bright grin, smug for no reason. Pasta goes great with, like, everything, in Alberto's book. Definitely not unheard of to serve with fish back in Portorosso. What's weirder is dipping the bread in oil. He, uh, thought of that himself here... experimenting. ]
Oh! Grab the bread and oil, too, actually. Almost done~
[ He slips the two fillets onto a plate to serve, flipping again so the lemon slices are on top (though not all that pretty-like like a more experienced presentation), but he's satisfied with their work. He pours a bit of oil in the pan again, adding the bits of uneven lemon zest and what remains of the parsley, more salt and pepper. He drains the pasta in the old copper colander he'd found, slaps it a bowl, and very quickly pours the oil over it, tossing it around with the pasta spoon — takes about a minute, maybe two, fast and fluid with it, even if it's not quite the best technique with the oil... He's still figuring stuff out. He's more or less got the hang of it. Everything usually turns out pretty good by this point, and it's been about three weeks since he's exploded anything in his kitchen, a couple months since any fires, sooo... Doing all right. He has like... four or five solid recipes under his belt by now, building intuition and relying on his own natural gusto and curiosity, as always.
But he's feeling pretty confident with this as he walks over to the desk with the bowl of pasta in one hand and the plate of fish in the other. It's his own decision on the pairing, maybe not quite a traditional meal, but a simple one — and a cheap one. The most expensive thing was the olive oil, really. The fish was free. From the lake. Caught by himself. Swimming around late at night in secret with a net, for lack of a boat. But it gets the job done. He slaps the food down a bit gracelessly with a loud clink. ]
Finito! Mangiamo!
[ He gestures for Chara to take the chair with the pillows tied to it with some old rope — the comfy chair, for the guest... Then rushes back into the kitchenette to very noisily drop his stack of pots on the floor off the stool he uses as storage, very jarring chaotic sounds suddenly, and clumsily shleps the stool over to the desk with some speed and a self-satisfied smirk.
And after taking his seat, he hastily slaps some pasta on each of their plates, laying each fillet of fish on top. He's silent as he serves it, an especially dramatic opera aria still playing from his phone on shuffle in the background — the same song he'd made the chickens sing, by chance, and one he has fond pasta memories attached to from his dinners in Massimo's kitchen. But though wordless as Massimo might be, once the food is plated, quite unlike the fisherman who taught him half of all this, Alberto's brimming with unspoken energy as he picks up his fork and knife, and just... grins at Chara, watching, waiting, stupid excited, confident, expectant. Inwardly he doesn't know what reaction to expect from Chara... Chara has so far seemed to defy all expectations usually. ]
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[Like well enough that they won't drown, which is fine enough for them. And they go to get the bread first and then the oil, from where Alberto had placed them and brought them over to the table. Placing them down they're going to watch as Alberto goes about finishing the fish and pasta, before they take the seat Alberto has indicated he wants them to sit in.]
So uh... Bone apple teet?
[Of course Chara's saying it wrong on purpose, not that Alberto will know that. They're going to take up a fork in one hand and knife in the other, as they then cut off a piece of the fish to eat first. Their expression is hard to read as they eat under Alberto's watch, not saying anything and just going to eat the fish first.]
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Wellllll...~?!
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[Chara responds, after swallowing their food. The fact that they were eating it at all should be sign enough that Chara finds it good, as they go in for more of the fish. In fact, the attention they are getting from Alberto is making them a bit self-conscious about the whole deal, so after this bite, they're going to stop and just stare right back at the other kid.]
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[ Once Chara takes a second bite (even if the third is postponed because Alberto's being creepy), Alberto smiles and leans back, picking up his own fork and knife finally, and starts to slice his own up. This kid needs all the validation, Chara, sorry. Especially about cooking — especially about fish... Beats the screaming chickens, though? ]
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[And honestly that's all they're going to say on the subject, going back to eating the fish and maybe having some pasta in between bites of fish. And yeah it kind of beats the chickens, but not by much. Being stared at while eating is just weird.]
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As he takes his own first couple bites, though, he lets out an enthusiastic hum of satisfaction. He's so proud of how much he's learned to cook since coming here, even if it's only like... three or four meals. He's at least got them down pat. He's certain Massimo would be proud, and that makes him proud. That Chara likes it just makes him prouder, even if they're not as enthused as Alberto is... But they're not as enthused as Alberto is about anything, so he doesn't expect it. No one is as enthused as Alberto is, in general, really. ]
Mmm~! Benissimo! We did good! Huge help~ Heh, and your first time cooking fish, too— Brava, Chara!
[ He's an enthusiastic eater, too, now that he's decided this was up to par, and has mastered using a fork, twisting his noodles around it, well-practiced. He's, uh, even proud of that, too... I-It took him a while to get the hang of forks... At least he's not eating it with his hands — which he still has no problem with, and even does occasionally to this day. This dinner could be a lot weirder. ]
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That and they're being polite and not talking while they have food in their mouth.]
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Hmm~ So! When we go fishing with Asriel— we'll need a boat. Think we could find one...? Maybe at the bottom of the lake?
[ Th-That's his solution...? Oh, boy. Yeah, cuz a boat that sank is a boat they'd want, clearly. ]
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The fact Alberto mentioned a boat that has sunk does not go by them.]
Or we can fish from the shore, that's a lot easier than finding a boat. Sunk or not.
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No way— none of the fish we'd want are gonna be by the shore...! No, no, we've gotta get a boat.
[ He takes another bite, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully, ruminatively, before a great idea strikes him, and he waves his fork idly in one hand as he explains, energized by his apparent "epiphany." ]
Ooh~! We could make our own boat! I helped Massimo fix his once— after I, uh, set it on fire... But! But! I think I've got the basic idea of how to do it now, plus I've built bunk beds and at least like four or five Vespas— I can build all kinds of stuff...! How hard can a boat be? The three of us could do it together!
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