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an opawn post, if mew please--
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 This is a voice test post and also an open post because I need more losers. Leave a prompt ( picture, text, opener, anything-- ) or a blank comment and I'll get back to you! ( and if you have a preference for the lame superhero or lame teenager variety ) sigh |
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but!! walking up a pretty long path to catch a glimpse of some rumored "amazing view of the town" is something that's supposed to be calming, normal, or maybe slightly romantic (though it's probably mostly just exhausting to most people...); the lili and adrien version of the trip is... none of those.
for one, adrien's his ever smooth (not) alter ego right now, as he'd met her as chat noir when he'd attempted to rescue her from a situation she very much Did Not Need Rescuing from. in the end he'd introduced himself as chat and, therefore, she only knew him as chat. needless to say, being clad in all leather with a mask and cat ears is a pretty quick way to strike "normal" off of "things to describe this hike".
the fact he keeps walking on the handrail and not the steps is a good way to take "relaxing" off that list too. romantic? well. with how they are and the last two points, that's probably self-explanatory. ]
You know, I was being purrfectly honest when I said I can carry you the rest of the way.
[ also that. that's what he tells her when they take a short break on their hiking quest between flights, smirk playful as he lowers down to sit on his haunches (still on top of the handrail, of course).
just push him off and save yourself the trouble, lili. ]
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she makes it up the last step on the landing and reaches out to shove him.
she may be a damsel and she might be in distress but she's got this covered (except for the part where she doesn't, but she's going to try so hard to look like she does).]
And I'm rather sure that I told you that I'd rather you get lost!
[she'll take an invitation when she sees one.]
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it's a good thing he's quick on his feet, though, because he's making a move to narrowly avoid her shove by hopping a bit to the side... though he shakes and near slips off regardless, if it wasn't for the hand that he sticks out immediately to grip onto the rail.
there's a very palpable relief here, and a silent sigh. ]
Ah-- too close, don't you think? [ he's just trying to be nice. and sometimes obnoxious. not purposely, no, but it's just so fun to be enthusiastic for once. ] Even if you tell me to get lost, considering how I met you, that isn't exactly something I'd feel good doing.
[ he may be a loser dork but he's a superhero loser dork and he is Very Used to helping people who act like they don't need it.
the thorn in her side is pretty sure he's helping. ]
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And do you think that you exactly look trustworthy? Why are you wearing so much black? What's up with the mask? What are you hiding anyway?
[JUST GONNA CALL HIM OUT, TO BE HONEST.]
Not to mention the ears.
[is this some weird hobby of yours]
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he blinks. wonders if he's actually rescuing anyone here. this is the feeling he gets when they're rescuing chloe, paris's version of regina george. ]
I'm hiding my identity, of course.
[ is what chat finally responds with, raising himself to stand on the rail before jumping off near to lili (but not too close) with a sheepish chuckle.
DIAGNOSIS: DEFINITELY SUSPICIOUS. and there's no question that he realizes that, as he's adding in: ]
Superhero, dangerous line of work, it comes with the territory. [ translation: definitely a weird as fuck hobby. ] As for your other questions—you're a very curious person, and I say this as a cat—
[ but okay, as he's counting off his answers on his fingers: ]
Don't judge me simply based on appawrance, black is a slimming color n'est-ce pas, the mask... again, identity, and the ears... What's wrong with the ears?
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The ears are just as bad as your wordplay, if you can even call it that.
Why would you even pick a cat to identify as? Hardly ferocious. Even if you say that you have a dangerous line of work, it sounds an awful lot like you're just trying to make sure sound cooler than you are.
[someone has no chill.]
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which is why it's probably for the best not to ask how adrien's treasured blue scarf got caught on one of the lanterns they're sending up to the sky as one of the city's celebrations. it's also probably a good idea not to pay too much attention to the leather-clad cat boy now chasing said lantern with the blue scarf on the ground as it drifts around town, slowly up up up--
--no, it's too hard not to pay attention to him. he's a cat boy. ]
Sorry, coming through--!
[ don't tug his fake-tail as he runs by, okay. or just make sure to get out of his way he's on a mission. ]
HERE take it before i chicken out of posting it again.
[And so her hopeful mood returned. She opted to wear a dress she'd finished making last week and forgotten to remember to wear, and hoped that the steam she'd had to finish it would continue to fuel her in more designwork.]
[And so...!]
[And so...]
[Seven more torn out pages, three location changes, and an hour and a half later, she still had nothing, and had flopped over backward with a dismayed cry to lay sprawled across a bench in her favorite park, overlooking the Eiffel Tower.]
I'm never going to finish anythiiinnggggg.
clutches it to my chest
... on a more serious note, he's sometimes lucky enough to have time after a particularly productive photoshoot. sure, it's one of those scenarios where his father would probably rather he just call The Gorilla, get on to the next part of his schedule immediately... And sure, usually he would (slightly unwillingly) listen to the Gabriel Agreste voice in the back of his head telling him to do so, but today he finds he'd much rather take the small gap for himself.
there's no chat noir shenanigans to be had, to plagg's obvious relief. instead, he's spending time just walking around the park nearby, until he spots two rather familiar things.
one: polka dots, always. it was difficult not to pause on them, especially when placed in conjunction with that familiar hairstyle, and it's not until he gets hit with familiar thing number two (marinette's voice) that he realizes he hadn't somehow accidentally stumbled into a ladybug miracle.
... though it's still a fortunate thing. and curious too, as marinette usually was. he's careful not to be too sneaky as she seemed pretty jumpy around him, but probably fails. have fun with the sudden familiar voice that's letting out a friendly (and inquisitive): ]
Finish what?
[ as he settles beside the bench she's sprawled on. good start? Good start. ]
yodels into the sunset
[She had oozed a little farther sideways on the bench when Adrien walked into her line of sight-- she paid him no mind, right at first, because blue jeans were common and she hadn't seen his face.]
[It was his voice that made her shriek like someone had dropped ice down her jacket, and flail her way most spectacularly so that she rolled right off the bench, skittering her way to the other side of it to grasp the armrest.]
A-A-A-- [She looked left, then right.]
Adrien!!?
[Luckily for Paris' beautiful little poster boy, she kept her voice to a harsh whisper when she spat his name in stuttering alarm.]
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That's... me. [ is what he says after a blink, still slightly confused, before he moves on to a lighter: ] Sorry, Marinette, I didn't mean to surprise you. I was just walking by and recognized you, so I thought I'd say hello.
[ a pause. maybe a compliment would help relax her? and it had been on his mind since he saw her, so he adds in an honest: ]
Uh... I like your dress?
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Ah-- it's! Okay, you just. I didn't see to expect you here. [A beat.] Expect to see you here--
[He likes her dress. Scratch that, she is actually going to die. She forgets how to talk for a long moment, staring wide-eyed at him before she looks down at her lap and gathers the fabric self-consciously.]
U-um. Thank-- thank you.
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he considers something for a moment, and then slips to sit on the space on the bench beside her.
probably too bold. ]
I remember you made that nice hat for my father's competition... Did you end up making this yourself, too? [ he didn't recall seeing a dress like that, anyway. then, with the Innocent Wink that's more like Chat Lite: ] Polka-dots suit you.
[ that'll be "phrases which are unintentionally right on the mark but adrien has No Fucking Clue" for 500, alex. ]
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[And, you know, the whole concept of Tikki granting her a preposterous amount of confidence she largely lacks otherwise.]
[She jolts when he takes a seat, but makes a point of keeping herself where she is, even if she did look about ready to leap out of her skin and possibly off the planet.]
A-ahh, y-yes! Yeah. I just finished it last week...
[If she weren't so flustered, maybe she'd recognize the diet version of the Chat Noir wink she was just given, but for the moment she's just trying to swallow her heart back into her chest where it belongs. She tries in vain to tuck her hair behind her ear and it slips back around.]
D-do you think so?
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Definitely. It sounds kind of silly, but I don't know much about actually designing. I can tell if something looks good, at least.
[ somewhat sheepishly. all he does is put the clothes on, the other stuff is his dad's area of expertise. it isn't like he was going to get any tips on the designing aspect of things from him, even if he wanted it.
it's here that he notices her sketchbook, clicks that right with "finishing", and puts the pieces together. well, that makes sense, doesn't it? ]
I'm guessing you were working on some other stuff.
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No? I-I, um. Could show you, if you wanted. [She had no real idea if he was actually interested in design, or even if he wanted to be a model. She had no real idea of anything about Adrien, except that he was cute and sweet and she wanted to do preposterous teenage girl things with him like hold his hand.]
[And, you know, that she was making her blood pressure skyrocket by sitting two feet from her on a bench in front of the Eiffel Tower. But that was beside the point.]
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... of course he lost it anyway because plagg exists, and he can't even be surprised when he gets to his room. his bag is full of crumbs, the gift is eaten, and all adrien can let out is an unimpressed: ]
Really, Plagg? You couldn't even keep the mess in the paper bag?
[ there is some part of this black cat that's endearing, he swears. the fact that his bag always smells like cheese now is endearing, sure, but he can't even be mad. ]
/waves hands vaguely
celty's never been to france and her knowledge of europe is mostly based in ireland, but she figured ireland is sort of (??) close to france so why not? she's on an impromptu road trip around europe with no one but herself, she's going to take full advantage of this freedom before going back to ikebukuro.
she winds through narrow alleyways and wider thoroughfares on her motorcycle with the ease of someone who travelled these roads for years, motorcycle suspiciously silent as her own catsuit blends in with the darkness of paris' nightlife. it's not as quiet as ireland, yet not nearly as busy as japan's nightlife, and celty finds herself enjoying it as she circles arc de triomphe. perhaps a little too closely, narrowly avoiding a crash.
there's a protesting, horse-like whinny from her bike, startling a few bystanders. oops. ]
takes your hands
his first thought had been akuma, but that was just due to her novel appearance (novel everything, really); he'd never seen her before. his second thought was slightly-off-chat-noir cosplayer, but he squashed that too since there was no way there was anyone who could get his outfit that off. sure, ears, but there wasn't even a bell (that entire thought was mostly a joke). when he hops down from his perch and hears that horse whinny (there was a part of him that had reacted to try to stop her crash somehow, though that wasn't necessary... and he wasn't even sure how), his third thought is that maybe he needs to go home and sleep.
what is happening. ]
Let's be careful with the monuments shall we? Not that traffic wrangling is my area of expurrtise. [ ... that's what he lets out easily, as he approaches her. he's made himself known already, so... what else was there to do? oh, this. ] Nice suit, though!
LE ANGST
the current thing plaguing his thoughts — spreading through his mind and occupying every space of it — could not be solved with either approach. his father's mumbling that he'd eavesdropped on, to what sounded like a kwami he hadn't seen very clearly, could not be solved with either approach. letting that fester made the guilt rise, how could he not have known? and accepting, doing nothing, was never an option.
so, instead, he ran. or rather chat noir ran, for adrien was always unprepared for lone confrontations with his father, and therefore chat noir was unprepared for a lone confrontation with hawkmoth. a thousand plans bloomed and died in his mind: tell ladybug, finish this on your own he's your dad so you should, talk to him (when did that ever work?) —
— in the end, he's approaching a familiar balcony at night. he'd gotten to know marinette on both sides of the mask, as adrien and as chat, and this was adrien and chat's problem. marinette was clever, the only one who could offer him some kind of guidance as ladybug was too directly involved, and nino didn't know chat, but all of a sudden this seems like a mistake.
more tumbling thoughts; his landing on the balcony is clumsier than usual, a pathetic stumble, and he curses himself under his breath for the noise he'd made. perhaps marinette hadn't noticed, maybe he could just leave, though he finds himself hoping that he'd been clumsy enough.
quietly he asks himself: ]
What are you doing—
[ stupid. ]
sad baguettes
[So when her foot connecting with the third step from the bed resulted in a thudding crash from above her, she started and almost dropped the jug, and then almost dropped herself. She slunk the rest of the way up to her bed and popped open the trap door to the outside just in time to watch Chat grumble at himself, licking his proverbial wounds. She simultaneously rolled her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. One one hand, Chat Noir was on her terrace, which meant she wasn't going to get to bed on time because she'd have to entertain him until he decided he'd flirted at her enough and made his escape. On the other, at least it was a familiar face and not, say, an akuma.]
[But then, what the hell was he doing on her terrace this late at night? She blinked owlishly at him, opening the trap door the rest of the way and standing, setting the jug of water on the ground as she hauled herself out into the evening air.]
Watering my mother's plants, if you must know, though I'm not sure why you're asking.
sad bugettes
there's a silence that settles between her statement and his own response after reaching that conclusion; he takes the small moment to gather chat noir's habits - their habits - and play into them with an energy that's not really there.
he came to marinette for advice because he thought a lot of her, and she wasn't involved. she knew chat, and she knew adrien, and he was already pushing things with just that. why would he risk her safety and worry her even more by pulling this kind of stunt, when this was his problem and his problem alone?
so, he straightens. there's a muted smirk on his face as he shoves away the multitude of emotions sinking in his chest (panic, relief, anxiety, a thousand and one plans and a rock - ).
it's when he plants both of his hands on his hips that he speaks. ]
It's late, [ this is more of a reason why he shouldn't be here and less of a reason for his asking why she's watering her mom's plants ( very normal, he's the weird one ) ] so I was curious. I don't remember this part of your late night routine, Princess. [ a slightly awkward, fabricated pause. ] Did I say good evening?
[ this might be the most tiring instance of "being chat" yet, on adrien's part. ]
i actually yelled at my screen for that
[And he was very off tonight.]
[The pause between her vague dismissal and his speaking, and the halting way he spoke in the first place was the biggest indicator. It was like a blinking neon sign above his head reading "I'm Not Okay", and she had no time for his pretending. He was tense in a way she wasn't used to, stiff in the forced way he set his hands on his hips. His smile looked strained. She rolled her eyes with a vague sort of fondness and picked up her water jug, shaking her head and moving past him to commence her task.]
Just now, you did.
[She poured water into a potted rose bush and then watched the plant suck it away before pouring a little more and moving onto the next one.]
It is late, but I forgot earlier. What puts you in this part of the city tonight, Chat Noir? Is everything all right?
[She phrased it carefully-- everything, which included him. She left it open for him to explain, knowing full well he probably wasn't going to without more pressing.]
high fives myself tbh
fortunately, she's occupied.
unfortunately, she goes straight to the hard question — is everything all right — which gets him shrugging his shoulders somewhat as he crosses his arms. ]
I'm not sure about that. [ that might sound a little too honest, until he continues with a muted upbeat tone. "i'm here because i have no idea what to do" is not a very appealing thing to say to a civilian, even one like marinette, who he feels probably figures this is more than just a random visit. ] Er, that's what I'm out here to find out. Kind of doing some flower watering of my own, you see, patrol — one of many duties.
[ one of many duties, which dictate that he should be back home confronting hawkmoth right now or at least plan to tell ladybug that they have a chance to end everything, but he can't do either. ]
You'll be very glad to know there's no pawroblems yet.
throws shoes at your head
[She was glad, at least, that he didn't flat-out lie to her. She rolled her eyes at the first pun of the evening, shaking her head and shifting backward in the chair.]
Oh, very. Were you just dropping by to give me a progress report, though? That seems like a tall order for someone saving Paris.
[Come on, Kitty. Spill the beans. You wouldn't have come over with a problem if you didn't need someone to share it with.]
catches them and treasures them forever :>
she was settling down and chat's dreadfully obvious with his hesitation again, as he followed her actions but avoided looking at her directly when her attention was off the flowers and instead on him. a moment where he looked to lean back on her railing, and he does, but his slight fidgeting ruined any chance he had of seeming relaxed regardless.
he tried so hard. ]
I prefer to call it a pawgress... [ he started, stubborn, until he trailed off weakly, his lips pressed together in thought. then, after a somewhat tired sigh: ] ... Am I that obvious?
[ said chat, master of subtlety, wryly. ]
bad kitty >C
[She pursed her own lips in response, smiling apologetically at him and reaching out to pat the corner of the chair.]
Now what on earth could Ladybug's partner, the great and paw-erful Chat Noir, have troubling him enough to bring it to a passing fancy?
[She figured maybe rising to him and meeting him with a pun might improve his mood. Or at least prompt a smile slightly less forced than what he'd already afforded her.]
C:
that was unexpected. that marinette, who would normally roll her eyes or shrug off his excessive... everything, would both flatter and partake in his Shitty Humor? it was simple to see that his heart was on his sleeve regardless of her perceptiveness, and that heart must've shown something very poor to have her pun.
but he chuckled. not as strongly as he would have, were this a regular night, but genuinely. he pushed himself off the railing slowly, steps hesitant as he made his way to her and the place she offered him, feeling something like a gratitude at the base of his chest but also a horrid anxiety.
and he smiled as he brought himself to sit down, more like a bit of a defeated kind of smile, as he gripped his tail to swing off the edge of the lawn chair he occupied idly. ]
A great and paw-erful problem. [ a pause. this time he looked at her from the corner of his gaze, as he continued to fiddle with his tail. ] Sorry, I lied on my progress report.
[ of course. he mulled over his words again, carefully, and then when he spoke again it was no longer dry or wry, but very serious. ]
... Princess, [ ugh, words, where are you ] if someone you trusted was doing something bad--no, terrible, what would you do?
yells also what the fuck this got long???
[But she had an appearance to maintain, so once she'd earned that chuckle and the smile, defeated as it was, and he sat down to fidget, she folded her wrists back over one another with her arms around her knees and set her chin on them to listen.]
[It was a challenge to keep from reacting too strongly to his question. Someone he trusted? This arose a possibly singular instance of her wishing she knew more about Chat Noir, and potentially anything about who he was in the daytime. She had no idea who beyond Ladybug he trusted, and she was relatively sure that she hadn't done anything he would consider bad, much less terrible. She managed to just squint and frown thoughtfully, tilting her head and looking at the shade above them.]
Well, that would depend a lot on who it was and what they'd done, I think. Which is probably not something you can tell me, what with the whole superhero identity clause in place.
[A beat of silence, and she looked startled, dropping her gaze sharply to him. She'd always been the one to enforce that, he'd always seemed pretty mellow about potentially knowing her identity or her knowing his. She certainly wasn't about to let him just tell her, but concern won over the knee-jerk reaction to say no before he even thought about thinking about it. She shifted, looking for a moment like she was considering reaching out to him.]
...are you in trouble?
it's beautiful it's ok
marinette hadn't allowed him much time to linger on that "it depends", nor did she give him enough time to deliberate ways on how to elaborate on his situation without spilling his name all over the place. his immediate response to her worry was to placate it, both hands raised up in a gesture of reassurance.
it occurred to him to play off the question with something ridiculous ( i am trouble, actually; trouble? schmouble— ). instead: ]
I'll fix it.
[ in other words, yes, he was in trouble. this is said more in a "i'll have to fix it" kind of way, as that was the truth. adrien's biggest problem had become chat noir's biggest problem, and the implications of his situation kept rolling in as chat settled his hands on his knees.
his father hadn't approved of nino, but nino was still adrien's best friend. even then, he'd become the bubbler; his father had done that fully aware of that fact. with a lot of his classmates, too. the thought was... beyond unpleasant, and soured the trust and love adrien couldn't help feeling more than gabriel's constant absence ever did.
marinette's safety wasn't even guaranteed with his vagueness, was it? ]
I just... I don't know how yet. [ he looked at her again, one hand tapping lightly against his knee. ] But I'll fix it.
stage yodeling
[He'd fix it. That meant he knew something was wrong, which was the first step to fixing it, and he was willing to, even if not in as many words, admit to her there was something wrong. It was a start.]
[She smiled, just enough to be seen, and shifted to sit cross-legged, resting her hands on her ankles.]
Surely you didn't come to me just to say you'd fix something you can't, or possibly just won't tell me about. What about your partner? Could she help?
我爱你 - for kamerlin
so, he's here.
ringing marinette's doorbell in order to start those chinese lessons she asked for.
something like anticipation hitting him as he waits for her to open the door.
but that's for no specific reason. he's just never taught anyone before, so that's the reason for the excitement. jjjuust mirroring what he felt when he was practising his mandarin with cheng shifu. ]
makes self at home
A-Adrien, right on time. [Confident that Tikki's found a decent hiding spot by now, Marinette opens the door wider to let him in. A familiar mixture of happiness and nervousness hits her, as it always does whenever he's in close quarters. Still, at least she can mostly get her words out normally around him now--Alya had pretended to wipe away proud tears the first time she witnessed this.] Mom and dad went out to restock supplies, but they left us some snacks in case we get hungry later.
lays out a blanket for you
he slips in with marinette's wordless invite, a hand resting on the strap of his bag (holding plagg and some cheese, of course, but also some books). there's a smile when he sees her, and his expression brightens up jjjust a tad when she mentions snacks in one of his displays of transparency.
perhaps another reason for his anticipation? (no, still just marinette, to his oblivious teenage head.) ]
I can't wait for later, then. [ his love of snacks is no longer a hidden gem. ] Ready to learn? I won't go as easy as you do on Mecha Strike III.
[ no, that's just a joke. ]
how kind
Wasn't I the one who kept winning when we played Mecha Strike III? [Her smile freezes a second later as she realizes what she said. Oh no, what if he doesn't like being reminded of that? ] I, I mean, um, thanks for coming over t-to help me.
[The stutter returns with a vengeance, making Marinette groan mentally. Quickly, she turns on her heels and leads him up the stairs.] T-the books are upstairs!
(^・ω・^ ) they call you akuma, but you're acutema to me
his lady is smart, strong, fearless... fearsome, he finds, as he stands in front of the akumatized her now. yet... even when his life is being threatened he can't quite bring himself to fear her, not when he knows he has to help her. somehow.
the street is in ruins and he's in the middle of it, everyone gone far before this moment: this moment consisting of him, staff out and clenched tightly in both hands, fighting his most trusted person completely alone. ]
Ladybug!
[ he yells out for the umpteenth time that fight, throat dry and desperate. he hasn't thrown out a single blow yet, instead avoiding every attack thrown his way as he struggles through the concept of fighting her. can he? remember, you have to save her— ]
Don't listen to him!
[ —or his futile attempt at reasoning, again, as the thought of harming her gives him the horrendous ache in his chest. ]
leave!!! (except don't actually)
Lͩͨ̓̍̔̃a͑̉̆ͫ̈dͭͦ̓̅ͯy͗ͮͦb̀̈́͛u͋g͗ͩ͗̽ ͬ͆̊͗͌̒̍i͋͒s͊́͐ͬͨ͗̋ ͛͒̍͂nͧ̑̔o ͒̊mor̄̒ͪeͮ.ͫ̄̓̊̅ [The cruel smile on her face is a mockery of the kind, confident one she normally wears.] ̇͛͒̏ͯ̍I ̇a͌͌mͮ͑ͫ ͯͪͦͭ̋̌̋t̐̓ͯh̅͊ͪ̏͌e̎ U̐ͯ̋n̂̍r͗a̔͋̅ͦv͆e͑̎̃̽̃̾ľ͆e̍͋ͧ̓ͥr ̈͛̿̑ͥ̈ͪaͫ͒̃ͤ̓n̅̓͐̈́d͗͆̇̉̾ͭͫ ̂̾Ḯ̉̃̍ ͧ̿ͨwͣ̔͂͗̾́ìͦ͐l͊̂̂lͬͫ̓ͫ bͣͯ̾̒͆̎̍r̅͆̋ͨ̄̓͗i̇͗ͤn̽ͩg y̋ͤ͆̆̈oͧ́̃ͪͩͬͪu͒͑̉̚rͫ ̆͂̔͌s͊eͦ͌cͤ̎̐̊͛͗r̀͂͐̔e͆ͥ̿t̅͑͗̂ͤs͋ͧ̈́̋ͨ ͌ͨ̈́ͭtͤ̐̇ò ̾͛ͨ̊ͪͤlͩi̋gͨh̍̍̓t͒̍̓̉ͪ̏̌!̇͗̅̋̊ ͪ̚
[The girl that had once been Ladybug punctuates her declaration by sending the thread after Chat Noir, with all the intention of capturing him.]
you're an acoolma ଲ( ⓛ ω ⓛ *)ଲ
chat's aware he isn't like ladybug; he doesn't cleanse, nor can he summon an item and craft a solution around that single thing. this battle honestly brings his limitations to light, but he doesn't have time to linger on them.
he drops onto four limbs when the thread comes, manoeuvring quickly around her strike with a practiced agility. ]
No need for that— [ he calls, in between dodges ] —I would've always told them to you if you asked!
[ unlike his usual banter with akuma victims, this tease does have a hint of truth in it. not that that's a surprise, he's always made that fact pretty clear.
as he sidesteps the thread, he's going to lunge to try and get closer. ]