[ 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!
Massimo's boat fit me and Luca, the fish, the cat, and Massimo! And Massimo's like— the biggest human ever, probably? When he sits down to dinner, the table shakes! He's like— this wide, and this tall!
[ Alberto holds his whole arms out at their full span, and rises from his seat to spontaneously climb up and stand on his stool. He might be exaggerating a little... but not by much. Massimo really is huge. He keeps his perch for a moment longer, standing tall and towering over the table, as he continues embellishing this idea with gusto. ]
If a little rowboat can hold all thatand Massimo, we could definitely make one that'd hold just us and some fish! We'd just need some wood — I've got all the tools! We could totally do it!
[ He gestures with both hands at the tools sticking out from the drawers of the desk and the toaster sitting at the bottom filled with more random hardware supplies... He surely doesn't even know what half these things are, why does he have so much of so much... ]
And besides— I wouldn't let Asriel drown...! I'm a great swimmer — even better at swimming than I am at walking, right? If he fell out, I'd save him. But we'll get him one of those floaty vests anyway, okay?
[ Alberto's clearly getting ahead of himself here... But at least on that note, climbs down from the stool and resumes his seat like a normal gd person. ]
[Chara has to stop themself from saying that Asgore is bigger than Massimo at Alberto's showing off the size of his adopted human dad, and does so by putting more food in their mouth. They'll just listen to Alberto speak and wait until the boy is done talking to say their own piece.]
Well, okay. But I really don't think we could build a boat, or should at least wait until it's warmer to do boat fishing. Wouldn't want to hit the ice and like sink the thing.
[They can just find the bad outcome for everything it seems, as the go back to focusing on eating the meal.]
Okay, fair, fair... The weather's been lousy, lately, and I don't wanna get caught outside mid-boating when the sky starts leaking. So— after the sky stops leaking so much, we'll build a boat. There are a lot of fish in the springtime, anyway— at least back home.
[ He takes another bite, rattling off his marine expertise thoughtfully without manners. ]
Mackerel, gallinella, branzino, a ton of fish in the spring...! It'll be the perfect season~
[ He doesn't even know yet that there's snow coming soon enough and he's gonna run into a lot worse weather than these rainy days have shown. Springtime will come as a welcome reprieve far beyond any fishing adventures they have planned. But in the meantime, plenty of time to secure wood for this project. ]
[Chara is hoping that the delay that possible weather changes will cause Alberto to just, you know, forget about the whole boat idea anyway. Anyway, they'll listen to him list off fish and focus once more on their meal.
Since really they don't have much more to say on the subject.]
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corruptedsave) wrote2021-03-02 10:49 pm
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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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[And Chara's been saving up their money for Asriel's Christmas gift, so they have no plans on spending it on a boat of all things.]
That and you said Asriel isn't the best swimmer, what if he fell out of the boat and drowned or something?
[Covering anything that could happen or just being morbid? Hard to tell with them.]
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[ Alberto holds his whole arms out at their full span, and rises from his seat to spontaneously climb up and stand on his stool. He might be exaggerating a little... but not by much. Massimo really is huge. He keeps his perch for a moment longer, standing tall and towering over the table, as he continues embellishing this idea with gusto. ]
If a little rowboat can hold all that and Massimo, we could definitely make one that'd hold just us and some fish! We'd just need some wood — I've got all the tools! We could totally do it!
[ He gestures with both hands at the tools sticking out from the drawers of the desk and the toaster sitting at the bottom filled with more random hardware supplies... He surely doesn't even know what half these things are, why does he have so much of so much... ]
And besides— I wouldn't let Asriel drown...! I'm a great swimmer — even better at swimming than I am at walking, right? If he fell out, I'd save him. But we'll get him one of those floaty vests anyway, okay?
[ Alberto's clearly getting ahead of himself here... But at least on that note, climbs down from the stool and resumes his seat like a normal gd person. ]
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Well, okay. But I really don't think we could build a boat, or should at least wait until it's warmer to do boat fishing. Wouldn't want to hit the ice and like sink the thing.
[They can just find the bad outcome for everything it seems, as the go back to focusing on eating the meal.]
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[ He takes another bite, rattling off his marine expertise thoughtfully without manners. ]
Mackerel, gallinella, branzino, a ton of fish in the spring...! It'll be the perfect season~
[ He doesn't even know yet that there's snow coming soon enough and he's gonna run into a lot worse weather than these rainy days have shown. Springtime will come as a welcome reprieve far beyond any fishing adventures they have planned. But in the meantime, plenty of time to secure wood for this project. ]
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[Chara is hoping that the delay that possible weather changes will cause Alberto to just, you know, forget about the whole boat idea anyway. Anyway, they'll listen to him list off fish and focus once more on their meal.
Since really they don't have much more to say on the subject.]