Audience - Jacopo

[holyspirits]

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week 5, monday

[holyspirits]

[ at the bar today, gabriel is hanging out and seems to be in the middle of aggressively scribbling something down in a notebook when jacopo walks in. here is your background track. for once the drink they have is not alcohol? it is coffee of some kind. ]

Hey. Seen the train cars yet?

[obdure]

[ He decided he would try out the fashion his 1860s self wore today. Unfortunately, he will nosily lean over to see what they're aggressively scribbling. ]

I have seen a couple.

[holyspirits]

[ stylish... anyway it's notes about claude's very public murder unfortunately and also a few scattered notes about locations jacopo hasn't heard of. ]

And the verdict?

[obdure]

[ what are claude notes....... that is his friend even if he will never say that aloud. ]

... Strange. All those locations shouldn't fit within the physical confines of a train car.

[holyspirits]

[ they're surprisingly detailed, notes about the kind of stuff from claude's profile, his personality, things they've observed about him, and then notes about his death, who was involved, where, and a note linking him to zhongli with a question mark nearby. ]

No, they shouldn't. Not that I've ever been on a train but it feels that way. There are a lot of things in heaven I've stopped trying to figure out.

[obdure]

If it weren't for the notes on his death, I'd wonder if you were a bit infatuated with him.

[ When are you going to call him nosy? He's waiting. ]

Are you planning to see more of the train cars, then?

[holyspirits]

Yeah, Claude's not really my type. [ they cannot call jacopo nosy when they're just out here doing this. ] ... it's important to remember everybody. Even knowing what we know now. So I'm writing notes so I won't forget.

[ that aside... ]

I might go out there. Check on the dogs, wander around Italy, taunt some tiny wizards. I haven't decided yet.

[obdure]

... It is good to remember. [ Only because he has fond memories of Claude. ] Is this an opening to ask you about your type?

[ Not that he'll take it normally, but you know. Distractions. There's a pause like he's deliberating. ]

I'll accompany you. [ ... ] Not for the wizards.

[holyspirits]

It wasn't. [ but they sound amused, seeing it for the distraction it is. ] But if you're that curious... tall. Dark hair. Mysterious. Maybe well-traveled, definitely smart. Adventurous. Something like that.

[ the notebook gets tucked away. ]

No tiny wizards. Let's go check on the dogs and grab some coffee in Italy then.

[obdure]

... Shadowheart?

[ She's like above average for a girl. THEN SHE BLEACHES HER HAIR.

He will stop leaning forward to read the notebook because it's gone. They can head out. ]

I've never heard of coffee before the afterlife, actually.

[holyspirits]

That's not--well. [ no wait now they have to think about this. okay. well. that wasn't a consideration but. ] I mean she's hot, yeah, but way out of my league.

[ let's just go outside. ]

Have you had it at all since coming here? Apparently in Italy it's kind of their thing.

[obdure]

I'm not sure who else would fit from our bunch.

[ Assumes they are heterosexual, but otherwise? What good fits are there? Is it raining alpha drink... Jacopo has an umbrella, I guess. ]

Gamaliel let me sample her... Espresso?

[holyspirits]

I wouldn't think too hard about it. I'm not... really in the market for dating right now. [ it is fine to assume they are heterosexual, they do not need to discuss that. jacopo can decide whatever he likes. is it still raining alpha drink, god, i hate this game. ]

Espressos are pretty strong. What'd you think? [ a pause. ] Why am I not surprised she was over there...

[obdure]

[ And Jacopo is fortunately not overly interested in people's love lives... BUT I AM. NO CRUMBS FOR ME BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T PUSH IT. ]

It reminded me of soup we'd make sometimes. [ ? ] Is the area significant?

[holyspirits]

[ NO CRUMBS FOR A STARVING HEI... it is okay, they probably aren't that interesting anyway. ]

Because it's kinda thick, right? Yeah, that makes sense. I don't think there's significance for her, but she's always struck me as the type to camp at a cafe somewhere and spend the whole day working.

[obdure]

[ Jacopo isn't sure if he'd call it thick. ]

More so that the soup I'm thinking of is when we didn't have much money for the day, so it's vegetables boiling in water and maybe salt.

[ Struggle meals. He doesn't understand the appeal of coffee in the elevated, then later gentrified way yet. ]

There were a lot of places that offered coffee and small meals.

[holyspirits]

[ it's not, gabriel is thinking of something else. ]

... soup is still soup. [ this doesn't sound entirely wrong. ] Pretty sure espresso's gonna be more flavorful than your vegetable soup, so prepare for that.

Coffee's a big industry in the modern century. Not all of it comes from smaller places, and not all of it is good, but it's a little more accessible now.

[obdure]

[ Gabriel just accepting the struggle meals. Thank you. He knows it isn't impressive... Being poor is what it is. ]

I'll look forward to it. [ Because who likes BLAND food? ] Accessibility is good... The aroma is quite nice.

[holyspirits]

[ sometimes you are used to struggle meals of your own, man. ]

I think the smell's my favorite part. It's part of why I perfected espresso martinis at the bar, it's a combination of both things. But I don't know. I can't say I'm not grateful for the 24/7 gas stations that always keep a fresh pot when I would wander in at 3am. Sometimes that's the taste you need.

[obdure]

[ being alive was hard

Gabriel starts talking and Jacopo isn't lost for all of it, but can piece some of it together because he learned what gas was a couple of weeks ago. Now he knows they sell coffee... At gas stations, even though they're meant to automobiles. ]

... I can't say I relate. [ Obviously. ] But espresso martinis sound interesting.

Why were you up so late to begin with?

[holyspirits]

Next time you come by I'll make you one. If you don't like it, then I'll finish it off. [ easy. they seem to get this is a thing that isn't wholly relatable given jacopo is from the 1800s, but they do seem content he isn't asking too many technical questions. the man can be taught. ]

It wasn't like it was every night. Sometimes parties ran that late, or even later. Or sometimes I just needed to get out of my house and do something. There were some nights I didn't bother going home, so it was easier to have places to go.

[obdure]

[ they can make him one and he'll fucking die the same night. it is even worse, this jacopo is from 1000-1080 or something. at least in 1800s he'd understand it better. ]

You were such a free spirit... Was home unpleasant at times? Or did you just like being out and about.

[holyspirits]

[ yeah, that will go well. also what is this man so old for? ]

Yeah, that's a word for it. [ but... they like jacopo enough to be a little more honest with the answer. ] Mostly the former. It turned into the latter sometimes when home was empty though.

[obdure]

[ wheel of fate, transcends time, etc. wow is the song at the beginning actually fitting here ]

When I was young, I used to envy people with families, but some homes have so many problems. [ In general, just can't expect people to have good lives even if they have the building blocks for it. ] At least fresh air is good for you.

[holyspirits]

[ perhaps. ]

... that makes two of us. Which I guess I shouldn't have, because I know for a while my family tried until they didn't. Things got complicated, and then they got really complicated and I couldn't fix it. But you're not wrong. Fresh air's good. There wasn't always a lot of it there, but there is here.