[ And in a flash, that grin cracks, and Alberto looks absolutely crestfallen... He knows she's a sky monster, so she probably doesn't have much affinity for sea monsters, like land monsters don't... but... somehow... those were the last words he'd expected from her. The over-the-top gag is what really cuts him to the quick for some reason, as his brow knots and quivers. Even down to the fake retching, he can't help but think of Ercole... "Everyone is horrified and disgusted by you! Because you are monsters!"
Alberto turns his face away, hiding his expression beneath his shark-ghost costume's hood, glancing dejectedly down at the ground as he presses on walking, and forces a mirthless chuckle to mask his hurt. ]
H-Heh— yeah... Disgusting... Ha.
[ He skips a beat, worrying his bottom lip, before taking a breath and straightening up again with some bravado, pointing his harpoon sharply forward at arm's length. ]
C'mon! Let's keep going!
[ He doesn't think this is the end for them — he likes Della, Della likes him, and for all she knows, he's tooootally human, even for how little experience she has with humans, too. They'll stay friends. But... all it means is that he's learned a new fun fact about her tonight. That he can never be fully honest with her — or fully himself. What's more, it reassures him that his instinct to hide his true self, even in a magical and wild world like this with all sorts of monsters and all sorts of people, was totally grounded and sound reasoning — you never really know... He's better off lying. Not that he didn't know that already, though, hah. His heart hurts, and he'll laugh that off, too — just like everything else that's ever hurt him. Like water off a... dack's back. ]
sorry this is like 20 years late rguihlfjks but down to continue if you are!!
Alberto turns his face away, hiding his expression beneath his shark-ghost costume's hood, glancing dejectedly down at the ground as he presses on walking, and forces a mirthless chuckle to mask his hurt. ]
H-Heh— yeah... Disgusting... Ha.
[ He skips a beat, worrying his bottom lip, before taking a breath and straightening up again with some bravado, pointing his harpoon sharply forward at arm's length. ]
C'mon! Let's keep going!
[ He doesn't think this is the end for them — he likes Della, Della likes him, and for all she knows, he's tooootally human, even for how little experience she has with humans, too. They'll stay friends. But... all it means is that he's learned a new fun fact about her tonight. That he can never be fully honest with her — or fully himself. What's more, it reassures him that his instinct to hide his true self, even in a magical and wild world like this with all sorts of monsters and all sorts of people, was totally grounded and sound reasoning — you never really know... He's better off lying. Not that he didn't know that already, though, hah. His heart hurts, and he'll laugh that off, too — just like everything else that's ever hurt him. Like water off a... dack's back. ]