oo1: actual intro!

[cursedtolive]

[action - around town in the afternoon]
[There's a small little boy walking around town. A flat cap pulled down over his eyes, and a brown jacket even in the middle of July. His outfit choice looks a couple decades out of date, too, although the clothes are definitely from the right era. Fashion statement?

Seemingly lost in his thoughts, Czeslaw Meyer-Stanfield is not paying much attention to where he is going. He passes by houses, by shops, by people. He might accidentally bump into people, at which point he will blink the surprise away and smile sheepishly, with a natural-sounding]

Oh...! Oh, I'm sorry [mister, or miss]. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going. I didn't mean to run into you. Good afternoon!

[action - 459 Stone Street]
[Nope. Nope. Nope nope nope. He can't handle this family arrangement. His "mother" won't let him hole up in his room, though, so he's sitting in a chair in the corner of the front room watching the door so he'll never be surprised by his "father"'s homecoming.]

Comments

[action]

[cursedtolive]

...

They're good people. Don't talk badly about them.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

I know they're good people. I'm not sayin' anything too bad about 'em.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Bad is still bad!

[action]

[justdumbluck]

Okay, okay, fine! I'll stop if it bothers you so much.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

... Good.

[He is a satisfied coleslaw.]

[action]

[justdumbluck]

[The most tasty kind of coleslaw!]

You're pretty close with those guys?

[action]

[cursedtolive]

[If you eat him you get an extra side dish of Memories of Gleefully Torturing a Child... What a deal!]

I think everyone is really close with those two, but... we're friends.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

[He thinks back to how they wormed themselves into the Martillos' party.]

I get what you mean. I guess it's nice they got a lotta people to look out for 'em.

[He eyes Czes warily.]

And I didn't mean that as an insult.

[Not on purpose.]

[action]

[cursedtolive]

If you didn't mean it as an insult but you were still saying mean things...

[action]

[justdumbluck]

It wasn't that mean that time, I just wanted to make sure you didn't jump on me for it! And doesn't the thought count for anything?

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Mmm.... actions speak louder than thoughts, Firo. [It's "words" but same difference.]

[action]

[justdumbluck]

Well, if we go by actions, I'm not hustin' 'em up, am I?

But fine. Next time I say somethin' that might be mean, I'll say I didn't mean it, okay?

[He's only being a bit sarcastic.]

[action]

[cursedtolive]

How about you just say nice things?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

[But that's so hard!]

...Like what?

[action]

[cursedtolive]

... Like the stuff you say to Miss Ennis when she thinks she did something wrong.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

[He can't help but blush at that. Sure, he's a lot nicer to Ennis than he is to other people, but is it really that noticeable?]

Wh-what? What's that got to do with anything? Th-they're completely different people!

[action]

[cursedtolive]

I'm just saying, you can be nice to everyone else too by not grumbling at them.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

...I don't grumble at everybody.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

... Are you sure you don't?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

Well... Not at most people.

["Most" is being rather generous and he knows it.]

[action]

[cursedtolive]

You grumble at everyone but Maiza and Mr. Ronnie and Miss Ennis.

Sometimes you grumble when Maiza's not looking.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

Wha-!

[He's shocked. Not because Czes is wrong, but because he's so specific. Firo's still offended, despite the fact that Czes is completely right.]

That's... That's not true! And what do you mean "when Maiza's not lookin'"? That makes me sound like some kinda kid afraid of gettin' in trouble!

[Firo's tone says that he clearly finds that idea ridiculous.]

[action]

[cursedtolive]

You can't get in trouble with Maiza. But you don't say it to his face because you think you'll hurt his feelings, don't you?

[Oh and because Maiza is Firo's superior and Czes guesses Firo's still a camorrista no matter how nice he looks, and that sort of thing is important.]

[action]

[justdumbluck]

I-!

[Maiza is a little weird, but Firo doesn't want to concede to thinking that.]

I'd never say somethin' bad about him! Back when all the other picciotto'd make fun of him, I'd be the one tryin' to defend him.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

... Do you know about dominos?

[He can't exactly remember if that was a thing Isaac and Miria started before or after he met them.]