tushanshu_logs | So will you please show me your real face

Entry tags:

So will you please show me your real face

Characters: Adrien/Chat
Date: July
Location: Around!
Situation: Catchall!
Warnings/Rating: None yet, will update if needed

ADRIEN I

Adrien can be found working his shifts happily in the Midnight Hotel, bussing tables, cleaning up. If you're here to eat, he'll be polite and genial, taking your orders and bringing you your food, he'll even stop to chat a little while, if you want him to.

When it gets quieter, and everything has been done, he can be found at the piano, playing a mixture of classical music, and more often, glam rock covers. He doesn't sing, though. Please don't ask him to sing.

ADRIEN II

Otherwise, he can be found working in the Healer's Guild. Not blessed with healing magic (and unwilling to learn, in case it interferes with the Cat Miraculous' much more destructive magic) he has had to learn the old fashioned way, but he's been at this for over a year now, he's getting good at it. He doubts he'll be in a for realises doctor any time soon, but at least he's got the basics down. He can be found moving through the Guild, helping patients, or occasionally asking for some help on something a little beyond his skillset. He's always willing to learn.

ADRIEN (Closed to Marinette)

He wanted to give Marinette time to settle in, but equally, he needed to build up the courage, the nerve for this conversation. He knows they need to have it, though. He can't avoid it forever, she has a right to know what he knows. He tries to swallow the fear she may hate him for this. That she will react differently this time. That she won't want him to have this knowledge. Won't want him.

"Um," he clears his throat, stepping into the kitchen, offering her a nervous smile. "I..uh. Think it's time we had that talk."

CHAT

Chat can be found every night, hopping along the rooftops, stopping crime, and occasionally trying to trail after a cultist. If he catches you wandering around, he might even lean over the nearest rooftop to grin at you.

"Hey, what're you up to? Nothing nefarious I hope?"

Otherwise, you can catch him in the KPD headquarters, absolutely not filing his paperwork, and probably making origanmi out of it instead.

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At least this is a face he recognises from the KPD, even if he doesn't know the guy well. Chat laughs, moving to sit on the edge of the roof, legs and tail dangling over the edge.

"Probably. But I'd give it a college try anyway. No one loves a quitter."

The outfit is no less baffling out on the streets than it is in the office. He's never understood superhero getups.

"You're too young to be in college," Devin retorts. "And a smart person knows exactly when to quit. Chasing a vampire might be your moment."

He can't help it, Devin, it's magical. Please send all complaints on a note to Plagg- who will ignore them all.

"I'm sixteen, so good sleuthing there," he retorts. "A vampire, huh? Never dealt with one of those before. I hear it sucks."

He'll just avoid anything resembling spandex.

"It's my job to know about people, around here," Devin reminds the teen. Then he rolls his eyes. "Yes, almost as much as terrible puns. As though I haven't heard that on before."

It probably could have been worse. It could have been leather.

"Well, if you're looking to know about Foreigners, you got an easy ride. There's not many of us left," they are a dying breed, it seems- it's worrying for him. "No? I could probably make about twenty up on the spot right now. Anyhoo, you're not a murdery kind of vampire, are you? I'm hoping not. Valdis would probably be mad about that. "

Well, see, that would've been more interesting.

"From what I've seen, the Foreigners make up for dwindling numbers with actions that have some truly flamboyant consequences," Devin remarks, arching an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want me to answer that question?"

"Yeah, you know, I can't even deny that one. We;re good at making disproportionately huge messes," story of his life, really. "Yes. Yes I do."

Devin gives Chat a sharp, nasty little grin that exposes his fangs.

"All vampires from my world are the murdering kind, Chat. I'm no exception, although I don't kill humans unless it's absolutely necessary."

Oh, that's not a happy grin. That's not a happy grin at all.

"Um...yay?" he laughs a little nervously. "So. Um. Do you need it to survive? Or is there like...a blood bank?"

He doesn't do happy grins. They're a foreign concept. The rictus remains

"I need blood to survive, yes," Devin confirms. "But there are no blood banks here. I've had to resort to... alternative methods."

"See, you say that and it immediately makes me think you're creeping around in alleyways taking buxom young maidens into your creepy castle with the ominous thunder and howling wolf soundtrack."

Boy has an active imagination, ok.

The sound that comes out of the vampire's mouth might be giggling, even if it's cold.

"You're adorable, you know that? I have a mansion in the English countryside, not a castle; but while I'm here I'm merely living at the Hotel. I don't discriminate my attractions based on something as silly as gender, and if Lady Valdis gets word that she'd merely be a soundtrack to my otherwise boring life, she'll smack you upside the head for even thinking it."

"My adorableness has been made well known to me, yes," he replies. "Okay duly noted. You're a progressive vampire. That's...something I guess. And oh god please don't tell the boss I said that, I don't need that in my life."

"Progressive in one direction, I suppose," Devin concedes.

Just for fun, and because the rooftop isn't terribly high, he crouches low and then jumps up to be level with Chat so he doesn't have to keep craning his neck. Perks of his unnatural strength.

"Your secret is safe with me, for the time being. Best not to cross me, however, or she'll hear of it," he teases. After a breath, Devin looks out at the sea of roofs. "Tell me, did you choose this lifestyle on your own, or did it choose you?"

Chat shifts to the side a little, trying to look cool and not-startle when he was absolutely started.

"Duly noted. Fangs for the consideration," Chat no. He exhales, following Devin's line of sight.. "Little of both. I was picked by uh...destiny. So I guess I needed to do it, but I love it, I wouldn't change it for anything. It gave me more freedom than I ever had back home."

Chat gets an arched eyebrow for the pun. The answer, however, is more intriguing.

"Destiny," he echoes, and there might be some distaste in the word. "I suppose if you love what you're doing, then it doesn't matter much if fate had a hand to play." He breathes out in a huff. "All the same, fate would really do well to stop picking children for it's playthings as often as it does."

"Destiny."

It's the best way he can describe it, Plagg was never that upfront about all of it. He just kind of...happened.

"Eh, I can live with it. It's never hurt me too much, being all that young."

Yes it has. He makes dumb teenage mistakes all the damn time.

"That's because you don't have a century's worth of hindsight to know better. The part of your brain that helps you make good judgement calls also hasn't matured yet," Devin points out critically. "You have a lot of years ahead of you - make sure you're around to live them."

"Hey I-" a pause. "...Okay, yeah sometimes I make really poor judgement calls, you got me on that one."

He smiles, giving a lazy salute.

"That's the plan. trying to be not-dead."

Also a lie, if Marinette's life is danger, he'll consistently put HIS on the line to save her.

"No one goes through life without making mistakes. It's just a matter of whether you learn from them or not," the vampire counsels.

He returns the salute with a dark, cold smile. "Well, you're a step ahead of me on that one. Keep it up."

"That IS true. I mean, no one's perfect, right?"

There's a lot more bitterness to his tone than his carefree vibe suggests he has inside him. As Adrien he HAS to be perfect, it's expected of him- or it was, back home. He hated it, with every fibre of his being. He just wants to embrace his imperfections, and why not.

"Well, technically you're undead right? Or is that just zombies?"

"Not even God," Devin says by way of agreement, noting the edge to Chat's tone. "There is only one of you in the world; no one can be you better than you can. Perfect is an illusion. Just be your best self."

He's mostly aware of the hypocrisy of that statement, seeing as it's not a rule he follows himself. He goes the other direction, to ruin and bloodshed that stains him beyond repair. It's fine; that was his choice.

"Undead, deathless, it's all a matter of perspective. To humans, I'm dead, and to vampires I am alive. I have no pulse to speak of." He shrugs. "The terminology doesn't matter much."

"That's-" his smirk falters a little. "That's...actually really good advice. Thanks."

He might even take it, he's got better at it here. One day he might learn to accept himself better than he does right now.

"I see. So you are whatever you want to be, that's cool."

"It is, isn't it? I think I stole it off a Hallmark card." Devin, you're an ass.

He laughs hollowly, bitterness twisting it into something harsh. "If only it were that simple. I've never actually had much of a choice in the matter."

"You could have gotten away with it and I would have been none the wiser, you know. It was almost a perfect crime."

He cants his head, belt-tail flicking idly.

"Oh? You don't have a choice?"

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