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[ It takes Alberto more time than maybe most kids his age to keep up with writing it all down as Asriel explains, a slow reader and writer, needing to ask for some bits to be paused or repeated, even sounding some words out under his breath as he writes them, though a fair few will be misspelled, surely. His handwriting is somehow deliberate but still sloppy, the letters varying cases at random sometimes, holding his marker wrong in the center of his fist the entire time. When he gets tired of writing with one hand, he just switches to the other one, and the result is the exact same — seemingly, he favors neither hand, surprisingly ambidextrous, if Asriel pays close attention to such things. He’ll stop to ask some simple questions about methods or terms he doesn’t understand, grabbing another colored marker to add big ❓❓❓ notes in the margin on any points he wants to research further.

Because for all his fascination with cooking here, beyond Massimo teaching him the basics of how to make trenette al pesto and spaghetti back home, Alberto has taught himself everything… mostly off the cuff, but eventually did some cursory research on his phone. He’s so far been beyond the days of explosions and making himself sick for a while now, though who knows what the future holds, but Alberto’s first several forays into cooking, say, chicken were… scary… for anyone else who actually knows what they’re doing. He has no idea what bacteria are, no idea about cross contamination, salmonella, how long things can and can’t be left out before it’s unsafe to eat, the five-second rule being more like a fifteen-second-rule — just… food safety snd handling in general, he has extremely shallow knowledge of. If his friends really knew how little he knows, they probably wouldn’t want to eat with him, but he sells his skills so well and the end results are almost always tasty these days, at least from the recipes he’s mastered by now, so it makes a convincing case just for enthusiasm alone. It’s a wonder there’s no spoiled food in his kitchen ever, fast to use ingredients, seldom even has leftovers, and he is so otherwise methodical in his own way in the kitchen, almost never dawdles once he’s started, that he thankfully has not run into any problems making other people sick. So hopefully, that will remain true, especially with this new experiment. But like anything and everything else in his wide range of “expertise,” there are significant gaps in his knowledge about cooking. But how can he learn if he doesn’t try? Not even food poisoning by his own hand can curb his enthusiasm.

Once they’ve banged out the finer details, he leans back to appraise their hodgepodge recipe in his chicken-scratch handwriting. Once satisfied rereading it himself, he gives a nod and an approving hum, and scoots over on the floor, patting it for Asriel to come take a seat beside him for a better look. ]

All right! Read it. Whadya think? Did we miss anything?

[ And after a couple seconds, he gets bored watching Asriel read, so he starts doodling more snails around the huge page again while he waits. This snail has a mustache somehow… for some reason…? And that one seems to be shooting fire out its, uh— y’know, what, nevermind. Alberto pauses work on Turbo-Snail to look to Asriel with a hopeful smile for his final verdict. ]

( Asriel finds himself helping from time-to-time, patiently helping Alberto spell and write different words without being too pushy. He's well aware that Alberto is the kind of person who wants to give things a try on their own first. Besides, he seemed so excited about writing the recipes down, Asriel didn't want to do anything to ruin that for him.

The young goat-like monster doesn't have much experience with cooking -- or, in this case -- baking. Anything he knows more about is based more on what he's observed Toriel do over and over again as Flowey. The memory he had watching her bake before he lost his SOUL is more of a blur to him. Though, it may help that he's studied up on recipes from all his time reading books in the Underground, as well.

He shakes his head, smiling fondly as he looks to his friend's handiwork. )

I think we got it all!

( He pauses for a moment before grinning a bit. )

Boy, I have an idea! What if we bake a couple of pies for Chara?

[ Alberto doesn't mind the gentle interjections to help him with his spelling, mostly because it's coming from Asriel; if it were coming from almost anyone else, it'd be annoying, and he'd shoo them off. But Asriel... he knows just wants to help always. It's best not to upset him, too. They've got a sort of silent, mutual understanding of this by now, unspoken though it may be, after they had their tiff around Halloween. Alberto doesn't want that again. It's a good practice in gracefulness on his part, too; Asriel's a good influence on the young sea monster in that regard.

He leans back on his hands, propping himself up with his palms flat against the floor and a proud smile on his face. But when Asriel adds on another suggestion to this experiment, Alberto's face lights up. ]

Yeah! We should! Heh, I wanna cook for Chara — eheh, that sounds fun~

[ Gears turning, gears turning... He resolves he should invite the kid over. But then leans forward to offer an interesting fun fact that he's certain will surprise Asriel, grinning because he knows it. ]

Heh, did you know...~ I've never actually met Chara? We've talked on the Everything Machine like a billion times, but we've never actually, y'know— met.

[ Alberto thinks it's the weirdest, funniest thing. He doesn't take offense at it or mind it, necessarily; it's almost as if the occasion just hasn't come up, rather than either of them actively putting it off as far as he knows. Cooking for Chara sounds like a great way to properly meet them for the first time, he's decided as of this moment! What brings people together better than food, right? ]

( Asriel can't help but stop at those words. It feels a little silly, in a way. Asriel and Alberto seem to spend so much time together, but then... despite the three of them all being friends with one another, Chara and Alberto are more like phone friends... But, that's all the more reason for them to meet face-to-face.

If there's something Asriel wants for Chara while they're here, it's a way for his best friend to be happy, and one way he hopes for that is through potentially making new friends. He can't help but think that meeting Alberto could potentially be a good thing for them, even if Chara insists that all they need is Asriel... )

Gosh, really...?! Then, this could be a really good way for the both of you to meet! Chara really likes Mom's pies.

( It'd be a good way for the both of them to break the ice when they meet...! )

Yeah? I mean, you’ve both mentioned them to me, so they must be pretty good~!

[ Alberto leans in with a teasing smile and a light wave of his hand, before tugging his legs up to his chest with a tilt of his head. ]

So what about the butter-pies? Let’s make that, too.

[ I-It’s not a butter pie… whatever Alberto is imagining probably would be disgusting but he’s still on board, what a good friend…?! ]

( A-Alberto... no... that's not the right name... Asriel just stops for a moment before he comes up with another idea. )

We could go and get the ingredients together! We have an entire list now, so it shouldn't be hard.

( If Alberto wants to, that is! Shopping isn't an exciting part of baking, he's sure... )

Yeah! Great idea! Okay~!

[ Alberto jumps up at that, smiling brightly, as eager as always, until he suddenly freezes and stares ahead blankly for a moment, before very exaggeratedly, animatedly spinning round to face Asriel again with open arms before sliding his hands together awkwardly. ]

...Iiiii— don't have any money.

[ Pfffft. At least he makes it sound funny? ]

( For a moment, he can't help but just watch his reaction, laughing a little before he hears what Alberto has to say next. )

O-Oh, that's okay Alberto! I have money saved from school!

( One of the advantages of going to school here is being paid money.... He offers a reassuring smile. )

[ Advantages lost on Alberto and his stubborn lil butt, who refuses to go to school, won't be hired by most workplaces because he should be in school, and can't fight or do anything well enough to make enough money on quests. His income is very touch and go. And his money burns a hole in his pocket — mostly spent on dedicated cooking endeavors like these...

But Asriel's response lights his face up again, dissolving all his worries in an instant. He steps past Asriel and tears the page they'd written on off the roll of butcher's paper bolted to the wall, folding it up many times to fit it in his pocket gracelessly. ]

Oh! Well, that changes everything! Okay, c'mon, let's go!

[ Alberto understands the concept of money, tit for tat kind of thing, but he doesn't understand how personal it is, how he should be grateful and say thank you that Asriel is covering the cost, maybe... Money's money, whatever, it's not even real in his mind, because it's all digital and his poor little sea monster brain can't get over that hurdle. So the generosity is not sung the praises maybe others might think it deserves, but, well, the enthusiasm maybe speaks to enough?

Alberto's crawling on his belly suddenly under his bed to retrieve a pair of... hiking boots? That are probably too big for him? But he sits on the edge of his bed tugging them on clumsily, at least knowing well enough in this often rainy weather that he needs shoes now... He grabs a pink, long-sleeve, turtleneck pullover from his armoire and slips it on over the yellow T-shirt and blue jeans he'd been wearing. He's still getting his handle on human fashion, but, well, he could be doing worse? But most important, he grabs two (of his collection of five) umbrellas from the barrel by the front door (otherwise full of fishing nets and fishing rods, oof), handing one to Asriel. He gestures with his umbrella toward the door, but pauses suddenly, forcing a sheepish smile and mirthless chuckle... but, somewhere around the eyes somehow, there is a hint of genuine amusement, too. ]

Eheh— I, uh. I better let Sofia out again before we go. Sooo... you go stand in the hall. Hah.

Edited 2022-01-14 15:03 (UTC)

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