pc catchall for luca.

[fisherwoman]

shitpost incoming.

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w1, thursday.

[fisherwoman]

[Come late afternoon, Luca’s getting a pretty loud and insistent knock on his door!]

Anybody in there?

[notaccurate]

[That's not a voice he normally hears.

Curious, he gets up from the couch and goes over to the door to open it.]

Yes?

[fisherwoman]

[Peering past him...]

Hey, when’s the last time you saw Sheila?

[She’ll explain in a second, but she sounds more rushed than normal as she says that.]

[notaccurate]

Last night, we saw each other in passing when we were going to bed. Why?

[fisherwoman]

[With a frown, she pulls her phone out, opening up a text conversation to show him. From her end, it says:

Hey... You're married, right? Also, do you have a few minutes?

Sheila?

At least text me back to tell me you’re busy!

But between each message, there’s a read receipt that’s time stamped to fifteen minutes before Endorsi’s messages were sent.]

It’s not normal. I’ve been looking around for her, but...

[notaccurate]

...she's married?

[Luca NOW IS NOT THE TIME

He pulls out his own phone to message her.]

I was using your blender and I think I may have broken it. Is the blade supposed to be in three pieces?

If she's just avoiding you, then I'll find out quickly.

[Time to wait for a response!]

[fisherwoman]

Why is that what you focus on...

[She glances at his phone, though, waiting to see what happens.]

[notaccurate]

I honestly can't understand who-

[What was he about to say about her? It is a mystery.

Because his message suddenly gets a 'read' receipt from 15 minutes BEFORE he sent the text.]

...

Is it supposed to do that?

[fisherwoman]

...No. That’s what’s strange.

[She frowns, narrowing her eyes.]

But based on last week, the doors would have locked if something happened to her, wouldn’t they?

Week 1, post-trial

[notaccurate]

[Well. That was a thing. But when he sees Endorsi, he will wave to her.]

You know, 48 hours ago I honestly thought Sheila was going to be a victim. It's good that wasn't the case.

[fisherwoman]

[She glances his way, curious.]

Oh? You disliked the two who died even less than her? You made it sound like you don't get along very well with her.

[notaccurate]

I wouldn't say I disliked either of them, honestly. But I think I would have felt somehow responsible if Sheila had died.

[fisherwoman]

[She blinks, thrown off by that.]

Why? It's not like you would have been the one who killed her.

[notaccurate]

No, but my being rude to her could be what keeps her out of the room, which leaves her vulnerable.

[fisherwoman]

Oh. Well, you should probably fix that, then.

[Blunt as ever.]

[notaccurate]

[SIGHHHHH]

I know I should, but that doesn't make it easy!

[fisherwoman]

Why do you dislike her so much, anyways? She seems fine to me.

Week 2, Monday

[notaccurate]

[Memeshare is ruining his shit this week, but he promised Endorsi a science experiment and he's going to get her a science experiment.

Which means he's got a cookie sheet set up in the kitchen, as well as a tall narrow glass that Luca is currently pouring some vinegar into. The glass is in the middle of the cookie sheet by the way. A box of baking soda and a spoon sit nearby.]

The key part here is the reaction between the two ingredients. Some elements, like hydrogen, react in a volatile way with most things they come in contact with. A much stronger chemical would get a larger reaction, but for this experiment vinegar will do. You notice that smell, yes?

[He is. Too excited about this.]

[fisherwoman]

[She's standing near the door as she watches him go and listens to him explain. It's clear from her voice and expression that she doesn't quite Get It, but she does look curious, at the very least.]

You mean the bad smell? I notice it.

[notaccurate]

That's a sign of the excess hydrogen. Hydrogen bonds with most other elements, which is why it's so useful. But each bond has a different result! When you mix vinegar with tomatoes, for example, you just get ketchup. But when you take the vinegar and apply some sodium bicarbonate-

[He takes the baking soda and uses the spoon to carefully nudge a portion of it into the glass of vinegar. It starts bubbling and foams up out of the glass in an eruption within a few seconds.]

- it makes for a much more exciting reaction.

[fisherwoman]

[She's nodding along as if she understands what all of those words mean, but she does show some genuine interest when she watches the liquid start to bubble over.]

...You're sure that isn't from some kind of power?

[She means magic.]

[notaccurate]

Not at all! You could do the exact same thing and get the exact same result.

[fisherwoman]

[Unthinkingly, she steps forward to take a closer look, and the proximity brings forth another memory, a series of spars that last over the span of a few days.

For the first few fights, you beat him easily, but you don't let up no matter how much stronger you are than him. He's inexperienced and you have hundreds of years of practice, though he's a fast learner. You usually don't like training with other people, because it means they grow stronger as well, but... For some reason, it's not as annoying with him.

During one of these sessions, he dodges one of your punches for the first time, and he looks so excited - it makes you feel fond, which annoys you, so you kick him to the ground immediately. After a moment of hesitance, you reach down to give him a helping hand up, but as soon as he takes your hand, you withdraw it hard enough that he lands on his face.

The memory fades after the conversation you have after one of the sparring sessions, a conversation that leaves you feeling - awkward, unsure of yourself, but a little bit warm, too. That's not something you've felt for many years, and it ends as you flounder for something to say.

It's a warm note to end on, but for whatever reason, she grows more quiet than anything else after it stops.]

[notaccurate]

[That sure is a memory. And it's a good thing they're not in the middle of a chemical reaction, they could have made a mess with how Luca gets distracted by it.

But by the end, he has a small smile on his face.]

Friendship doesn't come easy to you, does it?

[It's cute. Luca can overlook the red flags in it because of how cute it is.]

[fisherwoman]

[After that, it takes her a second to realize Luca's said something, but she gives a rough exhale when she hears the question.]

Well, I wasn't very used to it before he came along, if that's what you mean.