tushanshu | [ video ]

Entry tags:

[ video ]

[ Marinette is no stranger to electronics-- a few clicks here, a few clicks there and... she pretty much has the hang of it. At least the jist of what she needs in order to use the console.

On the other hand, the speaking part...? ]

Oh... eheheh. Hi, I'm Marinette.

[ She waves awkwardly at the screen. ]

I'm still trying to put everything together but... I think I understand the basics. Since this is my first time out on my own, I thought maybe I should get some help. Where do people live here? [ ... ] And how can I make some money? I'm pretty good with my hands. [ Specifics, Marinette... specifics. ] ...My baking isn't as good as my dad's, but I did learn from a pro. Oh! And I love sewing, so... there's... that...

[ This whole thing has gone pretty smoothly so far. Huh. Great. ]

I think that's... it for now. Anything you can tell me would be really great, thanks!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh uh... the... welcome center...? Yeah.

[Give her some time, she'll get used to it. Despite her weird 'Marinette things', she works decently well under pressure. And if this isn't pressure, then she doesn't know what is. Saving Paris? Piece of cake. Living on a turtle with Adrien? It'll take some work. But boy if his presence hasn't made this new world a brighter place for her.

Although the mention of a cat cafe does put a stop to her inner romantic monologue rather quickly.]

A cat cafe? [Adrien? Well sure he'd look cute in anything, but why did it have to be a cat? It's... not like she misses him or anything, it's just weird thinking about that guy when she's here with Adrien. Nope. No more of that.] Sure-- I'd love to see it.

[The welcome centre. Sure, he can make it there. ]

Hmm, it's called a Cat's Paw. There's even a couple cats there already.

[He's of course fully aware of the irony of working there, that was the number two reason for him taking the job. Just after loving cats and just before the fact he actually needed a new job. ]

I'm on my way to you now.

[He starts to hop off the console then...stops. He can't just show up as a cat. That would be stupid. It would freak her out and she's had enough of that suddenly finding herself on the back of a giant turtle.]

Um- and before I do, I should warn you. Something...strange has been going on, magically here, and some people have been changed. I have too. So I'm not exactly the same as I usually am.

Or at all. You'll see when I show up. Just don't freak out okay? I promise I'm still me.

[Cat's Paw. Okay. Good. He's on his way now? Great. Well okay no, she might be a little nervous about that part. Walking around a new place... just the two of them...? No, no she's totally got this.

But then the conversation takes a small turn, and her nervousness is replaced by concern. If something bad happened to Adrien...

No, no he said he was fine. So he had to be fine. But then why did he sound so worried, like she wouldn't accept him or something?]

...I don't know what happened, but... it doesn't matter what you look like, you're perfect the way you are.

[...sometimes she wished she thought these full sentences out before she just blurted them out; no matter how honest they were.]

I mean-- whatever happened, we'll figure something out. So... don't worry... okay?

[There's a long pause here, as Adrien takes a moment to consider that. Perfect just the way he is. Perfection is something he's expected to strive to, it's always...nice to hear he's just fine exactly how he is. Even if that thing isn't really 'perfect'. ]

I- thanks, Marinette. I'm really glad you're here.

[And he means that, he's really missed her. He has friends here, of course, but ones from home are different. They know you in ways others don't. ]

I'll be there as soon as I can, okay? Hold tight.

[It takes him about half an hour to do a trip that would take him fifteen at most as a human- even less as Chat. But eventually, a tiny black kitten enters. It seems to have a little bracelet on its foreleg, which marks it as unusual at least...until it opens it's...his mouth. ]

Marinette?

[He was really glad she was here... he said he was glad she was here. It's a good thing he had an extra long trip ahead of her-- she probably spent nearly half that time with he hands clutched to her chest, torn between looking like she might as well have been a million miles away and trying to pull herself together.

But as time dragged on, she got a little worried. Did she really make him travel that far...?

She saw the cat when it approached, a wry smile sneaking onto her lips as she reached out to pet it.]

Hey there little kitty-- [...huh. What was that on it's leg?] ...what do you have there?

[And then it says her name and her mouth drops open as everything clicks into place. If she hadn't seen a case of it for herself, then she never would have believed what she's thinking right now.]

...Adrien?

[He sits down, his little tail twitching a little, embarrassed. This is so awkward, this was not how he expected to greet anyone who came here from home again. He'd imagined showing them around, warm hugs, fun times. Instead...he's a cat. ]

It's me. I told you I was different.

[He tries to groan put it comes out as some adorable little half-purr instead so he decides not to do that again. ]

There's some strange magical...something happening to some people here. We don't know what's caused it yet, but a few of us aren't as we should be.

[He'd smile if he could but he does SEEM happy to see her. ]

Welcome to the turtle, Marinette.

S-sorry... it's just, for a second I thought...

[You were someone else? Yeah that's not weird at all. On top of that she'd petted Adrien-- that's definitely weird. But that tiny little half-purr... too cute...]

...b-but nevermind that! I'm sorry I made you come all this way. That had to be rough...

[Not like she knew anything about being a cat but--]

Not that I'm not grateful! I'm really glad you did.

[As always, he seems outwardly oblivious to any flustered actions coming from her. He just sits quietly listening, realising just how much he missed having such a dear friend in his life again. ]

You're one of my best friends, I wasn't about to leave you here when I could help you out. Don't worry about it, it just takes me longer to walk places is all.

[And now to...slide this casually in. So casual. Nothing to think about really. Casual.]

Chat Noir is here, too. But I haven't seen him since all this magic happened, so I guess he got turned into something and is keeping a low profile until it's over.

[One of his best friends... this is fine, she'll take it. In fact- it's a step up. This is definite progress.

And...speak of the devil. What was that frisky feline doing? Sounds like she'll have to do some snooping around on her own. There's no way she could just ignore something that turned Adrien and her partner into a cat and... whatever that masked feline was running around as.]

Sounds like you could both use some help. Well, I'm sure someone will find something.

[...not from her or anything nope. From Ladybug.]

Hopefully they gave you the nine lives to go with it.

I'm sure someone will. We have all kinds of experts in magic and the like here. It shouldn't take them long to find out what's been going on.

[He just hopes it isn't gang related. Some kind of backlash for the budding police force.

He actually laughs at that joke. It'a a nerdy little mewling sound, but a laugh it absolutely is.]

Good one. Anyway, I can show you some great places to stay. There used to be a hotel that was a good starting point but that's...not in commission right now. I live in the Sky sector, it's pretty nice, and you don't have to pay rent in the houses there.

[Well... she did learn from the master of bad cat jokes. But if it made Adrien laugh, then it was good enough for her.]

Right, then let's leave the magic stuff to the professionals. In the meantime... that'd be great. Oh! And if there are any good places to buy groceries... I owe a little girl some cookies.

[Already falling into those 'couldn't say no' situations. But she can't say she regrets it.]

Already? And you only just got here.

[It's said with affection though. He's glad she's got a soft heart for the underdog. He's pretty sure that's what made her give him a second chance in the first place. ]

There are some markets we can try, sure.

[Marinette hangs her head with a sheepish laugh. Sounds like just about everyone has her weakness pegged... not that it was too hard to spot.]

Thanks.

[But now that that's settled well... her guide is a small kitten. Just how long can she keep looking down at him for directions before she hits her head on something or runs into something?]

Uhm... I'll follow you? Or... I could carry you?

[That sure is one way around their differences-- not like that could be potentially weird or embarrassing or anything.]

[Luckily for her, Adrien does know her well enough to understand that her being able to look where she's going is pretty vital in avoiding her giving herself a concussion on her first day here. As much as he'd like to show her around the clinic, he'd rather it not be with her as a patient. ]

You wouldn't mind? It'll mean we can move a little faster.

[And she won't trip on anything, but he'll keep that part to himself. ]

Not at all! Piece of cake.

[Marinette bends her knees, balancing herself on the balls of her feet. Keeping her legs flat, she gives them a pat.]

Whenever you're ready... climb on.

[They can pretend this isn't awkward afterwards. Yeah. He'll carefully hope up onto her knees, then clamber onto her shoulder, trying not to dig his claws into her. Because again...awkward. ]

Okay!

Where do you want to go first? Cookies or a place to stay. I- well, I mean, if you're really desperate, you can always stay at my place, it's not like I'm really using it right now.

[He's small enough that having him perched on her shoulder isn't bad at all. A few claw marks are nothing. She's used to pinpricks and paper cuts-- this can't be any worse. Although... his voice that close to her ear is definitely going to take some getting used to. Luckily, if she's standing stiff as a board, it seems likely enough that it's because she doesn't want to toss him off.

But okay yeah, that's a good question. It would make sense to grab up the ingredients first and then find a place to stay.

Marinette never has a chance to fully get through that line of thought though before everything grinds to a halt.

Her. And Adrien? Sharing a place??? This is the first time she's really doubted the validity of the turtle because she has to be dreaming. It's way too close to dream territory. The only thing that's stopping her from flying off into some embarrassing fit is the fact that Adrien's on her shoulder and she has to stand still.

This is the part where she needs support. No... no she knows what Alya would say. Go get him, girl. And I mean... the offer was right there! It's now or never. After a small inner pep talk, she makes up her mind. She's gonna do it.]

I'd... hate to impose, but... if you could use a hand-- or two-- the next few days, then... I really wouldn't mind...

[If she wakes up in the next five seconds she's throwing her pillow at whoever woke her, no regrets.]

Or even a paw?

[Adrien now is not the time for your crappy jokes.

He settles happily on her shoulder, glad to be seeing things from a perspective higher than people's ankles for the first time in a few days. It's good.

He's glad he can help her, really. Had the hotel still been as it was, he'd take her there, but it's not- and he wants her to be safe, while she settles in. It's not terrible here, but it's not perfectly safe, either. ]

Great, and don't mention it. It won't be imposing at all. I'd rather let my place get some use while I'm stuck like this.

[...this was really happening. She wasn't waking up. Marinette would be screaming or doing some kind of weird victory dance if Adrien wasn't right there. So for now she has to hold it in.

Right. Right. Paws.]

I think the problem is you have too many paws.

[The right number of paws for Adrien is zero. Still... she's actually pretty happy to hear him joking after how worried he'd seemed earlier.]

Well I guess that answers that question-- I guess we can go looking for those ingredients first then.

Haha, yeah. Too many paws and not enough thumbs.

[Thumbs are the best, Marinette. You have no idea how awesome they are until they're gone. He misses being able to open just about anything. ]

Great! There's a pretty neat market not that far from here, you should be able to find what you need there. My place has a kitchen, it's nothing as fancy as your parent's bakery, but it should cover what you need.

[Say a prayer for your kitchen now, Adrien, because it won't be the same once she's started.]

Alright then! Which way? I'm sure it'll be fine... I don't need anything special. I'm not nearly as good as they are.

[Farewell, kitchen, he hardly knew ye. ]

Okay, you take a left out of here and head up the row of buildings, I'll let you know where to turn.

Well, I don't know about that. I bet you're really good at it.

Okay. This way then.

[Her first few steps are extra cautious... long enough for her to get a feel for just how she should walk with him up there. The last thing she needs is to accidentally drop her crush onto the street.]

This is the first time I've done it on my own in a while, but... I hope they turn out good. [All this praise is so bad for her weak heart, but boy if it doesn't make her feel like she could take on the world.] ...I'll save some for you for when you're back to normal.

[He seems to have this balancing thing pretty down. Possibly a little suspiciously down for anyone who wasn't completely oblivious to these kinds of things (sorry, Marinette). Seems his life as a cat-themed superhero has done him some good when it comes to cat balance. Yay. ]

Really? That'd be great, thank you!

[Delicious Dupain-Cheng baked goods? Yes please. But now, he can actually talk as they walk. ]

So, what's the last thing you remember from home? Apparently it can be a little...different for some people. Time works oddly.

[Or for people who's immediate thought is 'Adrien is just that good'.]

Awww-- it's nothing.

[Just her chance to give you a present you'll actually know is from her.]

Back home? Well... let's see...

[She remembers. But the last of it is the stuff she absolutely can't tell Adrien. After all... the last thing that happened back home was her messing up... bad.]

Oh, that's right. Everyone was really excited about a new girl in school. From Italy, right? I wish I could have met her myself.

[She's trying to sound excited too... is it... working...]

What about you? ...do you really not remember that?

[THAT'S not the thing she's excited about that or anything. Noooooo.]

Voice;

Voice;

Voice;

Voice; > Action

Action

Action

Action

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject