prontissimo | kaisou inbox

[When Luca hears what the dare is, he grins. That's the sort of fun thing the two of them do all the time, anyway! Once Alberto gives him the okay to start spinning, Luca gives a firm not and responds.]

All right!

[He then begins spinning Alberto as fast as he can! Until it breaks. He jumps and yelps at the sudden snap and looks at Alberto, concerned...until he sees Alberto is just fine. And laughing. Relieved, Luca joins in on the laughing and then watches as Alberto completes the challenge. He then starts jumping up and down, clapping enthusiastically.]

Bravo! Bravo!

[Luz was going easy at first, and they just so happened to have a revolving chair! Granted, she was concerned when it broke, but once she was Alberto rise up unperturbed. she chuckled and rose up, giving him a look over].

Ok, good, no skin breaking. Maybe that was a little dangerous, but that's...this place, I guess.

Anyway! That was awesome, Alberto! But NO-OW, you can ask truth or dare to me OR Luca! Go make your choice!

[ "Maybe that was a little dangerous, but that's... this place, I guess" — though Kaisou itself has its own, uh, pitfalls, this could just as easily be said about Alberto and Luca's apartment... Their Barbie Dream Death-trap. At least they stopped trying to duct tape macramé jars hanging from the ceiling, since the jars just kept randomly falling and shattering. But they only gave up that fight after almost a year of diligently trying to make it work... They used to just... deal with random exploding glass... nbd. Now their biggest risk-runner is Giuseppe the ghost — and, uh, Alberto, himself. Probably neck and neck with the poltergeist as far as property damage goes, though. ]

Hmmm... You. Truth or dare, Luz?

[ He hums thoughtfully, then figures he'll keep the spotlight on Luz. She's still kinda giving the tutorial, after all, still having a rough month, and frankly the novelty of having her stay with them just hasn't worn off on Alberto yet, so he's still funneling his attention toward her a bit, though he doesn't realize he's doing it. ]

Huh? Me?

[That threw her for a loop. She thought for sure he'd chose Luca, because, well, obvious reasons. Now that he chose HER though, she was going to give them time to think up a good dare for her. That way, they could do both and see how they faired].

Ok, I'll start with truth!

[Luca watches Alberto intently, wondering what sort of question he's going to come up with for Luz.]

[ As Luca and Luz both stare at Alberto expectantly, Alberto stares back at Luz blankly for a moment, as if waiting for her to just volunteer embarrassing information on her own. And when she doesn't just blurt something out... ]

Oh! I ask you for the truth.

[ Even Truth or Dare has more rules than any games Alberto grew up playing. His games were essentially "die or not die." He hums thoughtfully, stroking his chin exaggeratedly and turning his gaze skywards, eyes narrowed, like this is a Very Serious Question. ]

...What's the dumbest way you've ever hurt yourself?

[ A la breaking a chair by spinning too vigorously. Not even an embarrassing mishap. A little nothing in Alberto's book of stupid shit he's done for fun that turns out wrong. Doesn't occur to Alberto that that question might not just be an entertaining story about Luz jumping off something tall for a quick thrill. For him, interpreting "truth, no matter how embarrassing the question," goes straight to 'What Did He Used To Get In Trouble For?' — which, more often than not, was risking injury in dumb ways. ]

Yup! Once you've done your T.o.D., you get to inflict the truth or the dare!

[Which meant, of course, that Luz was going to have to go for Luca next.

Ah. This question]!

Oh, that's an easy one! When I first was trying to get into Hexside, I had to show the school principal that I could do magic. I managed to do it with the glyphs, but scared that wouldn't be enough, I did the old "flip my eyelids inside out" trick, and got an eyelash in my eye. I slipped on my own melted ice, got tangled in my own cape and fell into the principal's lap, and then my ice glyph lifted me up and slammed me into the ground, face first!

I thought for sure I'd killed any chance I had, but apparently the principal had seen worse, and I was able to go!

Heh! Wow. I feel...real dumb, saying it out loud now.

I mean, personally I think the magic you do with your glyphs is much more impressive than flipping your eyelids inside out, but I'm glad you got in!

[ Alberto listens intently, trying to imagine this fiasco. He offers a sympathetic grimace but he can't hide his smile, either, amused at all this. ]

Thaaat sounds like something that'd happen to me, ha.

[ He reaches over and knocks on the glass of the coffee table, a familiar rhythm as any time he knocks for luck — knock, knock, knock knock knock, knock on wood — hitting his own head with the final knock. A la You-Know-Who. It's equal parts habit and sincere belief now. He leans back in the cushions again, lounging comfortably as he poses an important lingering question. ]

Luz, that's amazing, ahah. Brava. But: what do you guys mean by "flipping your eyelids inside-out...?" Is that an expression?

[ Clearly not a human one, if it's used in the Boiling Isles and Luca seems to know just what she means... There's still random blips of societal living in general Alberto's not clued into. Always learning. One thing or another. And tonight, apparently, it's, uh... this. ]

[Luz remembered it was just yesterday, laughing a little a the memory. It was honestly something that was only a little embarrassing really, because all of the memories afterward endeared her to the school and the principal anwyay].

Hopefully not! Learn from my example and stick to your strengths!

[Luz smiles knowingly at the gesture, then grins a little at the query].

Oh, THAT? It's pretty easy! You just sorta lift your eyelids slightly, keep the fold of skin and-bleep bloop bleep bloop!

[She did it! Yup. It's still slightly gross, and Luz is reveling in it]!

Looks like it's my turn, and I throw the question to YOU, Luca! Truth? Or DARE?

[Yeah, it's kind of gross, so...uh...he's really sure that wouldn't have helped her get in even if it wasn't for the awkward outcome. But that doesn't matter now. Now he's got to pick truth or dare. He hesitates for a moment, before deciding maybe just admitting something might be easier than doing a stunt like Alberto did.]

Um...truth!

[Yup, sometimes you just couldn't take Luz anywhere! But onto the question now. Luz took a moment to think about it, and then looked around the place a moment before finally coming up with her question].

What's the one item you hope no one finds in your room?

[He pauses, thinking about it.]

Something I hope absolutely no one finds in my room? No one at all? Ever?

[He pauses, thinking about it, then grins.]

Well, that's easy! Nothing! There's nothing I wouldn't want Alberto to see!

[Because he's absolutely willing to let Alberto see every part of his life. He turns to Alberto then.]

Alberto, truth or dare?

[ While the two of them deliberate over Luca's truth, Alberto is listening, of course, but he's also distracted sticking his fingers all up in his eyeballs, trying to figure out how to flip his eyelids inside-out... It takes him a couple tries, but he nails it right as Luca turns to him for their next round. Alberto turns around to face Luca when addressed, only to reveal... yeah... But he doesn't miss a beat, delicately trying to keep his eyelids flipped out as he speaks. ]

Hah–! Hehe, yeah, we don't keep any secrets, right, Luca? Sooo~ I'll do truth.

[ ghrsljf this moment would be so much sweeter if he weren't pulling these tricks... Luz, you just opened a very regrettable door... and now everyone else has to suffer for it until it loses its novelty. And who knows when that'll be... ]

Ha ha, awesome! I knew you'd be able to do it!

[Luz, obviously not one to be grossed out this easily, especially since she was the one who had brought it to them to begin with. Yes, most people thought it was gross, but that had never stopped her before].

Ah, I was hoping you might.

[Luz was all ears right now. This could be a very interesting turn of events]!

Truth! All right...

[This one's kind of tricky, because as Alberto said, they don't keep any secrets, so it's hard to think of one he doesn't already know the answer to. Then he thinks of just the thing.]

So...before you started school you thought school was dumb and boring. Now that you've gone for a school year, what do you think of it now?

[ Luca's question sideswipes Alberto. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but that's a much nittier-grittier question than he'd anticipated, for sure. He chokes a little, smiling awkwardly at the both of them as he searches for his words, but manages an honest, earnest response — as per the game rules, after all. Just another marker of how much Alberto has grown since coming here...! ]

W-Well, eheh... I still think it's boring — sometimes, not always! Buuut I definitely don't think it's dumb. Anymore...

[ He glances at Luz. She wasn't there for the 'boring thing that takes us to the terrible place' outburst that led to their huge fight in Portorosso. He glides right over the unspoken memory, seeking Luca's eye again. ]

I've learned so much, and it's not easy, but— it's fun. Sometimes, not always! Hah! I know I wouldn't have made it without you, though. Both of you.

[ He smiles at each of them, warm and sincere, more open than he usually is. Cuz that's the game. Right? But he can't let well enough alone and of course has to tag on some joke to damper it, for his own comfort. ]

Though I do wish we were allowed to move around. I still hate sitting in one spot. I'll always hate sitting in one spot. It's a very stupid rule.

[ Very matter-of-fact. An important complaint he has never let up on since Day 1. Both Luca and Luz have heard his Opinions™ on classroom etiquette, his grievances about not being able to move around as freely as he's used to. It's almost physically painful for him to stay at his desk without disruption for hours. He fails at it. A lot. That... may never change, it's true. ]

It's school. Kind of a mixed bag, I think. You learn things you want to know, and some of it you don't find so important.

[Sometimes, like now? You coped. If you lost the people you cared a lot about and felt alone in those thoughts, you needed something to occupy your mind. School filled that gap at times, though luckily for Luz, Danny and Luca and Alberto filled out the rest.

She was so lucky to have them].

You're not going to like everything, and that's ok! The interesting thing, at least, is that you can start figuring out what you want to do later, and put your all into that!

Heh, actually, I have that problem too! Kinda have to have a few fidgeys to at least occupy my hands. Don't want to lose focus.

[Luz knew herself enough to understand when she needed a tool to help her focus on the lesson. She was not a girl that could stand still when she was riled up! But she knew when she needed to put in a little more effort. Clearly Alberto was having troubles of his own there].

Well...even though it would probably be better if school let you move around...

[At least for Alberto's sake, since Luca sits still just fine.]

And even though it's still sometimes boring, I'm glad you like school more than you thought you would.

[And this is a huge step forward compared to what Alberto thought of school before. He's curious when Luz mentions 'fidgeys', though. Maybe there's something that might help Alberto handle the stillness of school better?]

Fidgeys? What are those?

[ Alberto smiles at Luca's words, eyes locked on him for a moment. But he tunes back into the full conversation after a second of letting that resonate. He definitely would never have done this without Luca. He could've — but Luca being there with him made all the difference... He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about what school in Genova would be like, by this point... But that's a bridge to cross later, if he even remembers his experience in Kaisou at all enough to cross it. ]

Oh, I keep my hands busy. That's why I always have so many tattoos!

[ He holds out his arms, which have a couple disparate fading drawings here and there... He doesn't have too many right now, but they both know the ever-changing stylings that are his boredom-inspired classroom doodles on himself... And his pants... and his notes on pretty much every lesson... Alberto's never heard of fidget toys, but after fourteen years on the island, anything can be a fidget toy for him. His own hands are fidget toys, half the time!

He really is impressed by how Luca can keep it together all day in class, man... By the time they get to gym, their final period, Alberto's always just about ready to burst. ]

[Luz couldn't help but wonder if Alberto is slightly on the spectrum like her but knew better than to introduce something like that to him just yet. There was still so much stigma attached to not "being normal" that it would probably make him feel like there was something wrong with him.

Luz had, after all, struggled with that herself. Heck, she STILL struggled with that, if only because there were days where it feel like she couldn't do anything right. The echoes of past kids making fun of her was always on her mind.

Alberto didn't need that. She could just say it was her own weird thing].

Those are impressive. But you know, I bet I could sketch up something really cool for you too!

[Someone remind Luz they were still playing Truth or Dare. She would get distracted with the idea of drawing something cool on Alberto].

And also why I have so many tattoos!

[Because of course, to the surprise of absolutely no one, Luca absolutely lets Alberto draw on him. He shows off a few doodles he had from Alberto. Then he looks back to Alberto.]

I guess that makes it your turn!

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sorry I went AWOL, still down to continue this one if y'all are!!

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[We'll let Alberto's reply slide after this one, if that's ok]?

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