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[ sometime after this conversation ends, vash is turning his phone off, and tucking it away inside the pocket of the frumpy white sweater he's wearing. closing his eyes, he quietly reaches out for that faintly musical connection he's getting used to having back in his head.

...And perhaps he tugs on it a bit too suddenly, a bit too tightly, because all at once he's aware that Kni knows he had reached for it--causing the sound to become discordant, for just a moment. Like he'd slammed a hand down, accidentally, against a couple of keys on a piano when just trying to put his hand against them.

He'll pluck up an umbrella, and head to the back of the cottage where he knows Kni is sitting, watching the rain, reading one of the books he'd had in the house for some light reading. Some big fat tome on the insects of Earth that he'd borrowed from the library days before Kni showed up.

Without waiting for an invitation, he's gonna fold the umbrella up, put it aside, and sit down next to kni, leaning back on those pillows--grabbing the younger twin up to yank him into his arms. ]

'cmmere.

You're gonna' catch a cold if you stay out here all day.

Hey,
Is this Kni?

My name is Alberto Scorfano. Your brother Vash told me you want to start school in September, and since it's your first time going to school here, I offered to show you some rope. Come over to my place tomorrow, I live at the Zodiac apartment biulding, I'll tell you all about school stuff and answer all your questions.

(and feed you. HA)

Let me know what you like to eat!

Ciao

Ciao! 🤠
Ready for more humaning lessons today? 🥸
Come hungry! 😌

[ When Kni gets to the apartment, Alberto will be quick to let him in, welcoming him with a friendly clap on the back as he enters. The apartment will be much the same as his first visit — there's a pile of clean laundry on the bed that they've been picking from/sleeping in anyway, but other than that, Alberto feels he tidied up for Kni's visit! ...No one else would be able to tell, though. It looks as chaotic as ever. There's no way to tidy this space.

However, one notable difference: It's silent. No music blaring like last time. ...For now. Silence seldom lasts long in this home — and if it does, it's more than likely a sign that something's seriously wrong, aaand that Alberto's likely to start breaking things, but uh. This isn't that. It's been a while since that kind of silence. :) This is an eagerly anticipating Kni's company-kind of silence. A good thing Luca's out with Luz for the day, or else he'd probably be on high alert just cuz it's... quiet... Living with Alberto, man — never boring, at least! ]

So how're you~?

[ He waves Kni along to follow him into the kitchen right away, making polite, singsongy chitchat to start — but, of course, genuinely interested in how he's feeling. Because as far as Alberto's concerned, they're friends — it may be an arranged friendship, sure, but that still totally counts. ]

LA LEZIONE DI UMANANDO #3 STASERA! 🙋🏼👨🏽‍🏫😏🤣🤗
¡Nos Vemos! 🤩

[ ...Sì! 👀 Ahem. Alberto's in good form today — can you tell? He's particularly excited for this week's "lesson," being that it's the end of their first week of school! They've had to push their lunch dates to dinner dates now, but Alberto's really coming to enjoy their Friday routine. It's a shame Luca's new astronomy club meets outside of school on Friday nights now, and he's presently out at their first meeting, or else he could lend his own humaning expertise too, but eh — così è la vita. Alberto feels he's up to the task on his own, anyway. Vash essentially tasked Alberto with playing ambassador for the human race, convincing Kni of how wonderful it can actually be living with humans — people, in general. It's no small ask of him, but at the same time, somehow the easiest possible thing anyone could have asked of Alberto — Alberto didn't give it even a second's thought before agreeing to help. He has done this once before, after all, taught someone all about the wonders of the human world. At least he didn't have to teach Kni how to walk — already so many steps ahead from the start! Even if he's still got surely a mountain to climb in these aims, Alberto is having fun taking it seriously. He's also mindful, though, that Kni grew up almost as isolated as Alberto had, himself. He inferred from his initial talk with Vash that Kni also feels things very deeply, whether he shows it freely or not, and maybe seems the type to stew in it a bit — and Alberto knows how that is quite well, in his own way. A very different way than Kni's way, certainly — but he feels a certain empathy all the same. And Alberto sure knows he didn't like school in the beginning, and he had gone willingly — he can only imagine how Kni must feel now.

As such, he went to some extra effort tonight to keep their spirits high and to keep Kni's interest piqued. He's hoping some enchanting novelty might make up a bit for what he's sure was probably a... less than pleasant first four days in fifth grade for Kni. And even though they started school on a holiday week, knowing most weeks are five days probably makes the kid feel even bleaker about next week. Weekends are way too short, anyway, man... So when Kni arrives at their planned time, he'll find the atmosphere in the apartment is a little different than his past visits. The room is lit mostly by their webs of colorful fairy lights, just a couple table lamps casting dim light here and there, but it's still bright enough to see comfortably — just, you know, for the ambience. Though not blaring, music fills the air as usual, at a more tolerable volume this time — but tonight, Alberto's trying for an uplifting, complex, intriguing, yet comfortable effect — but all in Spanish for a change. He's already set some food out on the seashell-filled makeshift glass coffee table, apparently going with a theme here: seems to be Latin Night here in La Casa Scorfano...! There's a bowl of tortilla chips alongside a bowl of guacamole, a few stray guavas beside a lone mango, and two glasses full of a thick, almost frothy, greenish-yellow drink. Whatever Alberto still has cooking yet in the kitchen, the aromas float all throughout their small apartment — dough, cheese, beans, spices... He decided not to put Kni to work tonight, and managed all the cooking himself ahead of time for this "lesson." He figures they can just relax and talk about school — or, worst case scenario, relax and not talk about school. He opens the door onto this scene with such a self-satisfied smile, fully expecting to find Kni standing there scowling and out of sorts. Maybe they'll both surprise each other, though! ]

Hola, caro~ Adelante, prego.

[ Hard to break him from his "Itañol," but oh well; Kni can gather the context clues by how he's being gingerly ushered inside. He's greeted with a jaunty couple pats on the back like every time, Alberto never having any hesitations about encroaching on Kni's personal space, of course — ole buddy, ole pal... ]

[One day, there is a strange person in the garden.

Jun stands near the edges of the garden's boundary, as if he's studying it. Coming back to the city to find the town full of Persephone's mint had been a strange surprise. Asking Wolfwood about it had led nowhere... which he probably should've expected.

So, he decided to talk things into his own hands and look into matters. He stands out there, dressed up in a coat and a scarf that is definitely leaning towards oversized, murmuring to himself]

Strange... the energy levels have increased, but it doesn't seem to be spilling over...

[So what the hell is with the mint?]

[ he doesn't need to sleep long. It was something about the spirit realm, maybe, or just the way his Plant body reacted to being on Earth--but a few months after he'd arrived, two hours was all he needed.

It worked in his favor, usually--busybody that he is, the less time he spent sleeping, the more time he had time to DO things.

Maybe it was because he was tired due to the weather getting cold, or the snow on the ground. Maybe he was still sad about Libra having disappeared...

Whichever it was, he slept longer than he meant to.
And he wakes up to a sound he recognizes. A gunshot.

He's up and out of bed in moments, throwing on his sweater with a speed that's definitely inhuman--his eyes scan the bedside table. ...as he thought. His gun was missing--and there was a searing pain echoing over his connection with Kni.

...There's two emotions:

Worry, intense, sickening.

And second comes anger. A feeling he kept at arm's length, normally. A feeling he rejected in exchange for other feelings, usually. But. Knowing, instantly, what's happened?

He feels it in this moment. Roiling and black, in his chest, as he races towards where he feels the reverberation of that painful song from his small, foolish brother. ]

[Eve had been scrolling the replies to Zodiac's bi-monthly post when she notices someone listed chess as their preferred sport. What? What?]

[Halfway through responding, she already starts wandering through the cottage, looking for Kni. Where is her little brother? She has something to tell him. She must share this new knowledge.]

( he would like to preface every single bit of this by saying that he still hasn't been here long enough to feel like he's gotten a good grip on how well he knows everyone that lives in the cottage — maybe a couple more than the others, to be sure, but the difference is minimal at best — and as such, he can't say with any level of confidence that he knows how to deal with any of them sulking.

one, in particular. and it just so happens to be the one that seems the least like he wants to get to know him in return, but that's neither here nor there for the time being.

kni has been acting strange lately, as well as nicholas can tell the difference between his prickly moods to begin with; he's been standoffish from the moment he'd met him, but it seems even more obvious now, haunting various spaces inside the cottage with a proverbial raincloud over his head and there's only so much moping he can take before he feels the need to say something.

blame those stupid caretaker instincts. if this had happened back at the orphanage, if he hadn't stepped in under his own power, miss melanie would have made a very ( read: not at all ) subtle suggestion that he do so.

kni is broodily plucking away at his piano when he finally thinks to approach him, still a little apprehensive that his reaching out will be anything but brushed off, but that isn't about to stop him from trying. )

Hey. ( he says quietly, coming just close enough that the other will be able to see him out of his periphery if he turns his head, but no closer. ) What's got you all mopey all of a sudden? ( well.

look he's trying, okay. he still doesn't quite know how to deal with you. )

[ Wolfwood has been trying real, real hard to be better at dealing with Kni's nonsense. kid's fussy, but he means well enough if you squint. Wolfwood's a big boy with a thick skin, he can take a little criticism.

Kni thinkin' he's being slick talking to Vash behind Wolfwood's back when he's actively making dinner, though, is a whole other level of disrespect and sometimes you gotta pull a brat up on his nonsense. ]

Ain't like you were gonna eat it anyhow, cauliflower. Stop worryin' about how it smells.

[Something is bothering Rose, and she can't shake it.]

[The island is safe, idyllic even, but her thoughts keep going back to the prophecy post. The vision of a grave marker with Kaisou written on it. The canvas. Plants.]

[Immediately, she's worried for Vash. But he's not the only one.]

[Kni's just a kid. Nobody would target a kid, right? Sure, he was one of Krusnik's original targets, but---]

[When her and Veldora come to stay with Vash for a few days, the first thing she does is seek Kni out. Wherever he is, he'll catch sight of his favorite Miqo'te.]

Kni, are you there?

[There are enough people guarding Rose at her house that she has access to a phone, even if it’s not hers.]

[After the post from shadow Wolfwood, Kni will get a text.]

I know you’re probably going to go in after him.

Please be careful.

Look after your brother.

But make sure he doesn’t lose you, too.

[Rose remembers how inconsolable Kni was when Vash went to sleep. While she won't pretend that it's nearly the same thing, she can't imagine that having someone close to him taken went over well.]

[So, as soon as she's able, she'll give him a call. Notably, it's coming from Takame's phone, as hers is missing in action.]

I wanted to let you know, Kni. I made it home. I'm safe.

[ In a small brown box, wrapped in brown paper, Kni will find a gift from their landlady. Inside is a pack of magic chalk and a note: ]

Happy birthday, young man. I am told that these particular chalks allow your drawings to come to life for a short period of time. I knew someone who would enjoy that a great deal, and I hope it gives you a little fun- you are still young, you are entitled to it.

- Persephone.

[ Kni will have a delivery on his birthday, in a carefully wrapped box. Inside, Kni will find a Swiss army watch - it has all manner of items that can swing out of it, from magnifying glasses to compasses.With it is a note: ]

Happy birthday, Kni! I wasn't sure what you wanted, and I've never been great at this gift-giving thing anyway. But I made this for you and I hope you think it's cool!

- Varian.

hey so those croissant rolls u made lastnight

they got eaten by the staff b4 i even had any left to leave @ the bar 4 customers lol

what are u working on 2day

Hey Kiddo, it's Auntie Zules. Everyone's really worried about you. So I'm gonna be nice and give you a chance to let me know you're still with us and check in with your fam okay? Because they need that, and YOU need that.

Otherwise, I'm gonna have to come stomping through the woods looking after you, and then I might break a leg on a tree stump and get eaten by wild animals, and no one wants that. You'd make Uncle Vergil cry :(

Check in, okay?

[Kni will be receiving a citation! How fortunate! However, upon opening it, this is what he gets instead:]

[ action - 7/6 ]

text; un: signorvespa

action; backdated to Friday, 1 September

action; backdated to Friday, 8 September

Action | Late November

Action - Early December.

3/1 - Shortly after the Zodiac post goes live

after the wedding announcement;

action; after march