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[Alright, she's got this, she can totally do this. Not for the first time, Marinette is incredibly glad people talk to each other here through things that she cannot hope to drop. Because if it was something like her phone?

Yeah, she would have dropped it by now. As it is, she's smiling brightly into the screen as she waves.]

Hello! My name is Marinette and I just got here!

[Yes thank you Marinette that is very helpful.]

Oh. That's probably obvious. Well, it's true! And I can sort everything out on my own, but- well, I don't have much money yet. I was wondering, where is somewhere I can go that has inexpensive foods? I'm not picky, but if there are cookies that would be wonderful.

[Gotta feed that kwami, after all.]

Thank you!

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[First Alya and now Marinette. Adrien's glad to have his friends appearing, he's missed them terribly while he's been here. He almost feels guilty for being glad to see them, it's a little selfish, wanting your friends stuck in the same place as you.

Plus...things haven't exactly been safe lately. He knows he'll have to work extra hard to keep them safe, to make sure they don't get caught in the crossfire of the unrest between the Travellers and the Snakes right now. Things have calmed, but it doesn't mean they'll stay that way.

Still, he IS happy to see her, and it's a genuine smile on his face as he answers the feed.]

Marinette! [Okay, what now smart guy? ] It's good to see you.

[Yes, good job, well done. The cookie thing is a bit weird, but he assumes it's a baker family member thing.]

Um. I can show you some of the marketplace if you like and help you out. I've been here long enough to get it mostly figured out.

[YES IT'S A BAKER THING.

Also. She is staring. And then looking around her like she expects someone to jump out and yell surprise.

Because how is this possible, is she actually dreaming all of this after all?]

U-uh, I, um. Are you- [And then, just some nervous giggling. This is dumb she is past this she can do this. Standing up a little straighter, she tries again.] I mean, yes, hi! It's good to see you! [She's yelling that's very loud. Okay. Quieter. Good.] When did you get here?

[He isn't phased by the sudden and dramatic changes in volume, or the stammering. He's decided these are just Marinette's little quirks, and he honestly wouldn't change it for the world. It's just how she is. ]

About three months ago. Alya turned up a few days ago, and Chat Noir is around.

[He gives a dismissive wave. Chat is SOMEWHERE. Who knows where. Whatever. ]

Where are you? I can come meet you.

Three months?

[That's so long, she's never been away from her parents for that long. She's never even been away from her parents for one month, but Adrien has managed three whole ones? Inconceivable.]

Oh, I'm at- the place the with the hotel. Um. [Hold on she wrote all this down she's checking her notes.] The Midnight Hotel. I'm there. Right outside there.

[So smooth, oh yes.]

Marinette!

[ Boy, is she glad to see you. Even if she sounds a little impatient and annoyed. ]

Where are you, I've been trying to call you nonstop since I got here!

[ Never mind that her phone has no service. ]

[It turns out it's easy to live away from a parent who isn't in your life all that much in the first place. Who knew? He should probably feel bad he doesn't miss his father as much as he should. ]

Great! I live here, actually. I'll be right down!

[He's on his way Marinette, better ready yourself. ]

[Okay. Okay okay okay she can do this. She takes a moment to pat her cheeks and psych herself up and when Adrien arrives, he'll see Marinette talking animatedly to... the inside of her purse. That is entirely normal.]

Alya? Alya! Oh my god Alya you- I'm outside the Midnight Hotel! Can you come here?

Are you okay?

[Adrien steps outside and that...that sure is Marinette talking to her purse. Okay. Yeah. Okay. She's just being quirky. Good old quirky Marinette. This is exactly what this is. Yep.

He clears his throat, raising his hand halfway in the air for a little wave. Movement slow and careful, like he's trying not to spook a tiny animal.]

Uh...hi?

[Thankfully, Tikki talks very quietly and Marinette is able to snap her purse closed and hide it behind her back once Adrien shows up.]

Hi! Sorry, hi. Um, it's... [She takes a breath, and then when she lets it out and smiles at Adrien she looks a little more like normal, everyday Marinette instead of the one who spies on him and hides when she gets caught looking.] I'm glad that you're here. This would be much worse alone.

[He relaxes again, giving her that warm smile of his. As with Alya, it's a genuine smile, not the quiet, polite one he puts on when he goes out in public in general. This one reaches his eyes. ]

I'm just glad I can help. I know this place takes some getting used to.

[And it really wasn't easy alone. But he was fortunate enough to find good people to help him out. So there's that. ]

Well, if it's cookies you're after, I know just the market stall. It shouldn't be too far from here.

[Be still her heart, she is going to get cookies with Adrien.]

O-oh, good, I'll just... I'll follow you. Then.

[Nailed it.]

Has it been very difficult here? It sounds a little dangerous...

[It was a pretty reasonable request, and while Midii was pretty sure that the inexpensive foods part could have been handled by someone else...it just so happened that, because her her part-time work, she had a particular store in mind.]

There's a bakery I know that makes cookies pretty similar to a kind I remember from back home.

Do you like macarons?

[Midii you are literally speaking her language right now.]

Oh yes, very much! My parents own a bakery, I take macarons for my class for the first day of school every year.

[It's going to be pretty hard to top her dad's work, but Marinette is nothing if not friendly to a fault.]

[Parlez-vous sweet tooth?]

That must have been...nice.

[Owning a bakery. Having access to such a delicious treat seemingly whenever she wanted.]

I know you said you just got here, but have you explored any of the streets yet? It's not hard to find, but it might be easier if you already know a few major landmarks in the Water Sector.

I'm on my way!

I'm fine, just a little kidnapped is all. Has anyone tried to explain this place to you yet?

[He nods in agreement, starting off towards the market stalls. And she hits the problem right on the head. Sure, there isn't an akuma attack every other day, but it doesn't mean this place is safe. ]

I don't mind it. The other Travellers, that's what the call those of us who've been brought here, are pretty nice. But it's not perfect here. There are gangs fighting for power, these remnants of some evil guy who ruled this place a while ago, and everyone who gets caught in the middle.

[His smile fades a touch. ]

There is- was a lady called Milyn. She's a native to here...or as close to a native as you can get, I guess. But there was a lot of trouble over something she'd done in the past and she was stabbed just a couple weeks ago.

[He's not one of the few people in the know that she survived the encounter, as far as he knows, a decent person and one of their few allies met a grizzly end. ]

[She's following him, walking side by side with him, and it's funny how this is starting to feel almost normal. Ever since he'd helped her with her uncle it's gotten easier to see Adrien as just Adrien, not a handsome model she was just a little hopelessly in love with.

Okay, a lot hopelessly in love with.

But now she considers him her friend, and knowing it's just them and Alya here makes her want to try as hard as she can to get over how star struck she tends to be.

Of course, then he says someone was recently stabbed and nothing else matters as much as that.]

She... is she okay?

The people who live here did, but it's going to take me awhile to get used to it all.

I'm so glad you're here, Alya...

[It was very nice, even if her parents did tend to go a little overboard with their attentiveness. So many cookies and pies...]

I haven't explored, no. It's-

[How do you explain that you need cookies for your tiny ladybug companion so she can regain her strength after a magical transformation without actually giving all that away?]

I'm just very hungry, so I wanted to find food first.

[Nailed it.]

No. She died.

[There's a quiet, morose tone in his voice. He's so used to putting a show on for everyone. But he doesn't have to for Marinette, and he's so tired of playing the part. It's good to have someone to open up to for a change. To let someone see at least some of the cracks.]

She was a good person. She made mistakes, but I talked to her. She was nice.

[He shrugs, exhaling. ]

Anyway, it's not super dangerous here. It's not like back home. But- it just pays to be on your guard a little okay? I wouldn't want anything to happen to you.

[It's just automatic, the way Marinette reaches out to put a hand on Adrien's arm when he sounds so sad. She knows very well that he always tries to stay positive when they're at school and even if that wasn't a very obvious part of his personality, someone he knew died. Things in Paris could be dangerous, but no one had died.]

I'm so sorry. We'll look out for each other, okay? And if Chat Noir is here he'll be able to help keep us safe.

[Probably...]

[His smile softens a little at her attempt to comfort him, and it really does mean a lot. He's made some acquaintances here, but he's not that close to them yet. It's different, having a friend here. A good friend at that.

Something wrenches in his gut when she mentioned Chat, though he tries not to show it. Sure, Chat was HERE, but he couldn't save Milyn, just like he couldn't save everyone when the Eaqthquake hit Hatal. For the first time since he donned the miraculous, he couldn't save everyone. It doesn't sit right with him. But Marinette doesn't need to know that. She needs to have faith in the one superhero they had here.]

I'm sure he will. He's been helping out a lot here.

[He'll pat that hand on his arm gently. ]

And you're right. We'll look out for each other. I've always got your back, Marinette.

[It was an answer that made sense. Midii even gave a nod of understanding in return, before sending the girl a look of sympathy.]

When was the last time you ate? If it's been a while, it might be better to get some real food first because going after any sweets.

Welcome, Miss Marinette.

The Midnight Hotel offers a place to stay for new arrivals and Mr Lowell is the very excellent cook. Rest assured, you will not go hungry.

Welcome to Keeliai! [It's rare that someone new is so cheerful, and Pepper is happy to see another girl around her age.] The Hotel is a good place to start for food, but I know a couple of super fantastic cafes where you can get cookies and then some.

I'm Pepper, by the way.

I think the Hotel most of us are staying at can probably provide food and rooming. But if you're looking for bakeries and stuff, I think that I know one. If you don't mind me giving you some directions or something.

[The seriousness of the conversation keeps her from overreacting to that, from blushing or stuttering or tripping over her feet. She can see he's still hurting, so she ramps it up a little.]

And I have yours. And who knows, with you and Chat and Alya here, maybe Ladybug will show up soon!

Oh, that's, well-

[Something she didn't take into consideration beforehand, and it's a very good point that Marinette really has no way to talk around.]

You're probably right, it's been a long time since breakfast. Where would you recommend going for real food, then? You mentioned the Water Sector before.

[And that thought is something that really brightens him up. The cloud over him dissipates, and there's some genuine happiness in his tone when he replies. ]

Yeah! We'd be really lucky to have her. She could do some real good here. ...Er not that she doesn't do good back home already, obviously, but here? I've seen so any things she could handle without even breaking a sweat.

[And by God, he's missed her. He knows he should feel guilty about wanting her stuck here too, but he isn't. At all. Not even a tiny little bit. ]

Edited 2016-04-23 17:48 (UTC)

[She nodded.]

That's right.

Actually, it can be a really good place to find seafood, if you like fish. Most everything they sell is pretty fresh, and they have good deals for the day-old catches. If you know how to cook them properly, you won't even be able to tell the difference.

Oh! Well, thank you, that's very good to know. It seems like everything is taken care of for us, doesn't it?

[Places to live, somewhere to eat. It's all very convenient.]

[Pepper is in luck because nine out of ten times, Marinette is the most cheerful person anyone will ever meet.]

It's nice to meet you, Pepper. Which cafe is your favorite, if you had to pick?

I think that I can manage to follow them, if you don't mind taking the time to give them. I would really appreciate it.

[Truthfully, Marinette had been intending to avoid transforming into Ladybug for as long as she could. She doesn't know how common new arrivals are, so there's no guarantee it won't be immediately obvious that they'd arrived on the same day and that would inevitably lead to her secret identity being uncovered.

That can't happen, obviously, but now that she knows it would Adrien so much good to see Ladybug it's harder to put it off. Maybe after a days... That should be fine, shouldn't it?]

And until then, we can do our best to do what we can.

[She gives him a cheerful smile then, bright and hopeful, and if she can raise his mood even a little she'll consider this a good day.]

Mr Shudder is responsible for managing the hotel. I imagine it's been a life-saver for many foreigners.

Do you have any questions at all, miss? Most of the basics are usually covered fairly quickly, but there's always the possibility of something being missed.

[She'd still be showing more restraint than Adrien ever had. Not that many people who've met both him and Chat are fooled into thinking they're separate people. Folks around here are smart. ]

Exactly!

[It's a good day for her being here, really. He's missed her. ]

So. You got anywhere to stay yet? The Midnight Hotel is pretty nice, and Anton is happy for you to do work around the hotel to pay for your stay there until you get settled. That's what I've been doing.

[Oh good, she can help brighten up the place when things call for cheer.]

Oh, man, that is totally not a fair question. Honestly, the crepe place is probably my favorite, but I think the best cookies are probably this awesome cafe in Wood Sector.

[Enjolras had brought it to her attention only recently, but it's not one she frequents on her way to and from the dojo to train.]

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