prontissimo | avalon inbox

[ When Alberto opens the door, Amy smiles, both glad to see that he's wearing some warmer clothes and for her own excitement as she holds her arms behind her back. ]

Hey there! I brought something for you. [ Bringing one arm out, she holds up a decorative basket. ] I hope you like cookies!

[ Alberto's smile is wiped off his face momentarily just out of shock, eyes going wide. A gift...? A basket of a million cookies...?! For him?!

His eyes search hers curiously for a split second, a surprisingly mild reaction for someone usually so enthusiastic — like... he's not used to receiving gifts...? So not used to it that he's stunned and bemused?

But he shakes that off quickly enough as a wide, bright grin spreads over his face, breaking eye contact to let his eyes drift back down to the cookies as he accepts the basket with both hands. He meets her gaze again with an endearing earnestness that suits him far better than the cocky front he's so often putting on. ]

Eheh~! Y-You made these?! Why? Hah, I-I mean— This is amazing, heh~! Thank you...!

[ His initial reaction does have her worrying for a moment that he actually doesn't like cookies, but feels better when he takes the basket from her. The expression on his face is exactly why she loves giving people gifts, and she's glad she decided to give him something as well. ]

You're welcome! I baked all of these myself, so I hope you like them. I don't know if you celebrate Christmas, but it's a holiday that's coming up where people can give others gifts, and I wanted to give you a present too.

Oh! [ She brings out her other arm, which has another basket that's covered with a dish towel. ] And I got something for Sofia too. [ She pulls back a corner of the towel, revealing a fish inside. ]

[ Alberto's dazzled smile stays put, having heard a little about Christmas... but all he heard was that a guy named Santa brings presents for good kids and brings coal for bad kids and he got in a big fight with his best friend about how he doesn't need any coal. That is the extent of his Christmas knowledge. He had no idea other people gave gifts, too. So this is very touching.

But what moves him even more, to the point it almost wipes the smile off his face, is when Amy whips out the fish. He looks at her with a verklempt pout, then breaks into a wide, bashful smile, stepping aside from the doorway, turning inside. If she wants to enter, she can — but first order of business, obviously: ]

Sofiiii~na! Mia bambiii~na!

[ It's hard to say whether Sofia recognizes her name by now and actually comes when she's called... or if she's curious because there's someone at the door... or if she just smells the fish and wants the fish. But she appears from who-knows-where, slinking into sight in her mildly silly, creepy way. She is, indeed, however, wearing one of her new winter outfits, headscarf and everything, which is... pretty adorable and hilarious. She looks glamorous, right?

She hesitates at first, tilting her head this way and that, staring Amy down, before she approaches closer and... continues staring her down. St-still intense, like last time... But she seems gentler. He's not trying to restrain her?

The fact of the matter is she wants the fish. She remembers Amy gave her a fish. She wants another fish. She always wants another fish. Alberto seems pretty tickled watching her, cookies in hand, barely suppressing a chuckle, grin pretty much permanently ainted on his face now. ]

[ With a smile, she steps into the apartment behind him. When Sofia appears, she bites back a laugh, because the outfit is just really cute and funny.

The staring is still a little weird, but Amy meets her gaze evenly as she pulls the dish towel away, leaving the fish completely open in the basket as she sets it down on the ground closer to the dinosaur. ]

Hey there, Sofia. Look at what I got for you.

[ Cute, funny and weird. That's Sofia. And Alberto. The nut doesn't fall far from the tree, even with... a monster and a dinosaur.

Sofia seems to grow even more alert as soon as the fish is lowered, and goes to move in, leaning down, but hesitates and gazes up at Amy with wide, uncertain hazel eyes, before digging in. ...And then digs in with a lot of gusto and no decorum. Also not so unlike Alberto.

He kicks the door closed behind Amy and goes to plop down on his bed with the basket of cookies, which he, too, promptly digs into as well. He could sit and eat anywhere else but chooses his bed... He's also idly playing with his bare toes with his free hand, one leg tucked up under him on the bed, while the other one hangs off, swinging mindlessly but happily, seemingly always moving even when he's sitting still. He doesn't pay much mind to talking while he's eating or not, though at least he's not... as gross as he could be about that? But just— ick, boys, sometimes... ]

I didn't know you liked to cook, eh? Me too! I've never made cookies, though.

[ She smiles as Sofia and Alberto dig into their respective treats. She had gone back and forth a bit about getting Alberto a gift, since she wasn't sure if they were close enough friends, but she's glad that she did.

She tries not to make a face as he talks with his mouth full, but it's difficult. ]

Oh yeah, I love baking and cooking. I could teach you to make cookies, if you want.

What kind of things do you cook?

[ He's gross, what can be said? At least he's not picking his nose, or his ears, or his toenails, or his teeth, okay. Frankly, he just has little decorum whatsoever, so this is really him on innocent, polite, good behavior... ]

Pasta, mostly~ But fish, too, obviously. And, y'know, vegetables, meat, whatever... Stuff from home. But, yeah, that's mostly pasta.

[ He's expanded his cooking skills far more than he's expanded his palate. He's looked up "Italian food recipes" plenty of times. Mostly because... he doesn't really know of any other countries, ahem. But he is interested in Japanese food because of a Japanese friend, another food-lover and competent cook, but he's only forayed into it vaguely when helping her prepare for a big party. He has a lot more curiosity still left to indulge. He's just so satisfied and endlessly fascinated by the food he'd first started learning to cook back home and has yet to be disappointed by any Italian recipe he's tried (provided he did it right) that he's been totally content with his endless pasta experiments so far. ]

[ She supposes she'll take what she can get. ]

Oh, pasta? That does sound tasty. [ Admittedly she tries not to eat a lot of pasta (a girl's gotta watch her figure, after all), but she does enjoy it on occasion. ] What's your favorite pasta dish to make?

Easy! The first one I ever had: trenette al pesto~ I'm preeeetty much the best at it now. I mean, next to my boss back home— Massimo. He taught me.

[ Braggart. But at least he gives credit where it's due. ]

[ She tilts her head a little. ] Hmm...I don't think I've ever had that before.

[ She recognizes pesto, but that's about it. ]

Oh, you're missing out, it's the best human food~ Trenette is kinda like spaghetti, but flatter; you add some potatoes, some green beans, some pinoli, toss it all in pesto...~ Ecco, the best pasta ever!

[ He waves his hands for emphasis as he explains, pinching his fingers together in the air enthusiastically at the end — the way any Italian should describe pasta, surely. ]

The best human food, huh?

[ Because that's a normal thing to say. ]

But that does sound really good. [ Especially with the way he's describing it. ] Do you think you could teach me to make it?

[ Totally normal thing to say. Clearly she's not human, so, yeah, let's go with that.

But her reaction does draw a fresher, more excited smile on his face. ]

Yeah-hah, of course~! Hey, you teach me to make cookies and I'll teach you to make pasta, heh. Deal?

[ Completely normal.

But she'll let that go for now. With a grin of her own, she nods. ]

Deal!

[ Catching the light from the window, she pulls out her phone to check the time. ]

Anyway, I should probably get going. I still have some other gifts to deliver. [ Slipping her phone back in her bag, she smiles. ] But let me know when you're free so we can start those cooking lessons, okay?

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